Epilogues and Extras
by Aeoliana
Summary: Upon popular demand, here's a continuation to DiaLover "Revised". A series of original chapters featuring a more complete ending to the anime and tons of great Yuuki moments that you don't want to miss. Consider it a season two if you will. (Rated for profanity.)
1. Chapter 1: Insecurites

A/N: Guess who's back? Ah yes, I have done it again. I've created another abomination and further decide to share it with you lovely readers. Oh well, you asked for it ;P

Since watching the anime was more than enough torture, I can't push myself to play the games. So if I'm way off the canon - fine by me. This is nearly a hundred percent of my own content. Literally what you see in the summary is all your going to get.

This chapter starts immediately where "Revised" left off (_which you should read before starting this_). To recap, it's when Yuuki says that she's feeling thirsty. **Sorry for random changes in point of view, terrible grammar, unbelievable OOC-ishness, etc.** It's not at all intended (well no, some of it _is_ purposely over-the-top), but it's so bad that's it's not something that can be mended anyways. Do yourself a favor and look away before your eyes start bleeding. *runs away in shame*

* * *

"Get her a glass." Ayato ordered. Subaru nodded and retrieved the water for Yuuki.

She quietly thanked him before taking a long draught. To everyone's alarm, she coughed the mouthful up violently. They slightly panicked until they realized that she was simply choking and not experiencing some sort of a withdrawal symptom. Really, when was ingesting cremated ashes good for anybody?

Ayato pat her on the back with gentle thuds until her breathing returned to normal.

"Idiot! Take it slowly." Ayato commanded. Yuuki, who was clinging onto his arm for support, hiccuped her affirmative before meekly asking to return to her room.

"You're probably exhausted." Kanato offered. "I guess I can play with you once you've recovered."

"We'll check up on you later," Reiji added, since he was responsible of the well being of the household. "Ayato, you can take care of the rest."

The red-head nodded and looked down at the recently-revived girl. "Can you stand?"

"Mmhmm."

Ayato escorted her before going back to get a fresh glass for Yuuki.

"You always make me do so much extra work, pancake," he joked to himself in order to kill the tension still penetrating the night air. It was an aftertaste of the crisis that they had just avoided. Relief finally set in, but he felt sore from guilt and the nagging idea that they would have to clean up the mess left behind. Maybe Reiji would take care of it.

Ayato didn't bother knocking. He walked right into the bedroom as if it was nobody's business, and was slightly disappointed to see that Yuuki had already changed into her nightgown. He had imagined that she'd probably need *cough* _help_. Instead, Ayato found her sitting on her bed, waiting for his return.

"What's your blood type?" Yuuki asked, staring at her knees rather than looking up to acknowledge him or his apparent perverseness.

"Huh?" The door shut loudly behind him to emphasize the reaction.

"I'm type O, which is probably why everyone drinks my blood without dying."

"Heh, you hoping we'd die after a taste?"

"No... I don't want you to die. Rather, I feel like I'm indebted to you... But I can't remember _something_. I know I was there and all, but it's evading me. Can you tell me what I missed?"

Ayato frowned. It wasn't that he wanted to give credit to the help from his brothers. He just was ashamed of himself... and didn't want Yuuki to feel like she owed her life to anyone else either. Wasn't he thankful enough for the both of them?

Yuuki looked at him curiously. "Ayato?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Why not?"

"Just cuz."

His stubbornness was characterized by a distinct childishness. Yuuki sighed, instinctively understanding that he refused to spill the beans for his own selfishness. She could not, however, pinpoint the exact reason - a desire for exclusive monopoly over her.

"I nearly lost my life today. I think I deserve to know what happened."

"... Okay, I'll tell you. But only when I feel like it."

His reluctance pissed her off, but at least they found a compromise.

"I'm also an O, by the way." Ayato said as he tried to hand her the glass. Answering her question seemed to be a good way to do something about her (admittedly adorable) pout.

He swished the water in front of her face while keeping the chilled drops from sloshing out. "Are you gonna take it or what?"

Yuuki bashed the offering out of his grasp with a swift, back-handed slap. The glass flew to the side and shattered against the the wall.

"What was that for?!" Ayato yelped with wide eyes. First of all, how dare she reject his kindness, and secondly, when did she get so strong?

"Ah, ahh~" the vampire complained, "Look. The carpet's soaked." When he turned back to face her, he saw Yuuki curled up into herself, clenching her fist tightly.

"You okay?" Ayato kneeled in front of Yuuki and gently pried her fingers open to allow him to stoke the back of her hand soothingly. "That must have hurt." She felt so cold.

"Ayato." It was a quiet command. Green eyes flew up to meet pink. Hers were filled with tears.

"What's wrong?" He was scared. Scared that she was hurt or afraid. Ayato pulled her off the bed and into a hug. She landed on his lap with her chin resting on his shoulder.

"Forgive me." Yuuki whispered hoarsely.

"For wha-whoa!" Pain cut the words off. Did she just bite him? Holy shit. Every fiber in his body was shocked, completely unable to comprehend the switch in roles.

"Ow, what the fuck, pancake?!"

She was on top of him, pinning him down, unable to stop. She was a ferocious animal without control over herself. Still the stronger one between them, he tried to push her off.

"Yuuki!"

"No! I need this. I need you. Don't move or I'll kill you."

What in god's name happened to his Yuuki? Crap, did she really turn into a vampire? Ayato's arms fell limply to his sides in order to avoid both hurting her as well as his own doom.

"Ng, Yuuki if you don't stop soon, I'm going to faint."

Yuuki sucked deeply before licking his neck for good measure. She pulled back and chuckled. "Why not? There's a bed right here, and you've all done it plenty of times to me. Don't worry, it's not too bad."

Damn, that was hot. Thankfully his blood couldn't rush down to his nether regions for the obvious reasons. She resumed her feeding, this time much more gently. Her appetite was sated a few moments later.

"Come to me." Yuuki cooed before standing up and settling in her bed. The command was all too easy to follow, but Ayato knew this didn't seem right. Rather, it felt very, very wrong.

"No," he said, getting up from the floor.

"You don't love me anymore?" the girl asked with a hint of uncertainty. She seemed to be experiencing mood swings or something.

"Shut up. That has got nothing to do with this."

"What, are you traumatized?" she challenged before softening her tone. "Then stay with me."

"I am _not_ traumatized - who the hell do you think I am?"

This was going too far. He needed to change the situation somehow and regain his dominance. So he climbed on top of her with only the covers between them. Yuuki giggled.

"Are you fucking drunk?"

"I think so~" Yuuki singsonged. "I think I had a glass or two of wine. And I just drank you a~ll up, you know."

"That shitty woman. Don't you dare turn into another Cordelia."

Yuuki's expression hardened. "Don't curse, Ayato. It's not nice. And don't compare me to that horrid lady." She sat up abruptly, forcing him to move back.

"Do you even know what you just did?"

"What's wrong, Ayato? I didn't know you'd be flustered over a little seduction. Or maybe you think that sort of thing's reserved for your beloved mother."

"Why, you-" the male vampire grabbed a pillow and whacked it across her head without holding back. Yuuki froze upon impact.

A minute ticked past and an awkward silence descended upon the two. When she looked up at him, there were tears glistening down her cheek.

"Oh, Ayato. What have I done?" Yuuki asked in horrified, hushed tones.

He could not manage to give her an answer. The boy just stared at her dumbfounded. Yuuki threw her arms around him and he instinctively kissed her hair and comforted her.

"I've become a monster!" she cried out between muffled sobs.

"No. We're not monsters, Yuuki. We're vampires."

He was far too gentle for her.

"I'm so so sorry," she whimpered as he rocked her back and forth. He was amazed at himself. Nobody had ever done such a thing for him, so he could not say where he'd learned to act in such a way. At least it seemed to be working... Eventually, her tears ran out.

Yuuki's energy was totally depleted. "I'm tired."

Ayato yawned a "me too..."

Yuuki snuggled up to him and they found themselves huddled like a couple of penguins under the blanket. She discovered a strange fascination with his hair, to which he playfully grew frustrated. After amusing herself adequately, she felt content to just observe Ayato silently, waiting for drowsiness to set in. This is where she felt safe - secure in Ayato's arms.

"Thank you."

"What did you say?"

"You heard me perfectly fine."

"Nu-uh. Speak clearly, pancake. Or I can't understand."

What she was feeling couldn't be said in words. So she spoke through her actions.

Ayato couldn't believe that she had just pecked him on the lips. It was quick, soft, and chaste, but it utterly undermined his manliness.

"Oi, pancake..." Ayato growled in a mock threat. Yuuki giggled innocently and pretended to be asleep. "Alright, alright. You win this time." He smirked and pinched her tiny nose before deciding to follow suit.

Women could be terrifying when they were angry.


	2. Chapter 2: Break Down

The first thing Yuuki's vision focused on was a set of red fang marks engraved in someone else's skin. She felt a sighed breath ruffling her hair and blinked awake to see the streaming sunlight on Ayato's face literally three inches from hers.

_Holy~! _Slowly but surely, the memories from the previous night hit her with one gigantic mind avalanche.

The rest of the household jumped when they ear-splitting shrieks piercing through the entire mansion. Everyone immediately rushed to the crime scene, bursting into Yuuki's room to find Ayato smothering her face with his hands, trying to get her to shut up and _calm the hell down_.

"What's going on?!" Kanato screamed, joining the panic. Yuuki was sobbing hysterically.

"Ayato, you little shit!" Subaru tackled his older brother.

"No, you've got the wrong idea!" Ayato protested while Yuuki continued screaming bloody murder. Laito was trying to stop her from tearing her hair out.

She was repeating some sort of mantra with a breathless frenzy. "No,it'snotpossibleit'snotpossibleit'snot_fucking_possible..."

"Did Yuuki just-?" Kanato's jaw dropped.

"That's the first time I've heard her curse." Shu noted with an indifferent tone, though he was thoroughly shocked at the scene before him.

"Who's disturbing the peace?" Reiji asked, joining the others. Nobody bothered answering since it was quite obvious. "What's wrong with Yuuki?"

"Yuuki, stop it." Laito pleaded, but her hands were clamped against her ears.

"She's having a mental breakdown." Shu explained, unsure of how to help subdue the girl.

The others surrounded her, but the approach seemed to only freak her out further. She kicked Laito in the stomach (which actually hurt since she became far more powerful overnight) and leaped off the mattress. She ran over to the window, dodging Subaru's outstretched arms, and threw the glass doors open. Ayato grabbed her waist from behind.

"GET OFF OF ME!"

"Calm down, pancake!"

She elbowed him and freed herself from his iron grip. Then she jumped over the balcony.

The others dashed over to the railing, trying to grab her before gravity had time to act, but they were too late. Ayato teleported down and attempted to catch her. He witnessed her drop in adrenaline-induced slow motion, yet missed by an entire foot. She landed face first on the concrete with the loudest possible thud within the audible spectrum.

The world stopped. Ayato rushed forward.

"Yuuki! Yuuki, are you okay?" No human could survive such a fall. Yuuki got up without serious injury and sniffled. Her face described the word "heartbreak" to a T.

"No, Ayato, no," she blurted out. The brothers stirred from their shell-shocked condition. "I can never be okay... I'm a vampire."

"STUPID!" Ayato squeezed the distressed girl. "Just because you're immortal now doesn't mean you should try to become a freaking stunt devil!" He wiped away the scratches on her face with his thumbs. "Are you seriously_ that_ determined to die, pancake?" He was spluttering. Although it was a major blow to his high-and-mighty image, Ayato could care less. His relief far outweighed any humiliation.

Yuuki simply held on to him like a lifeline. Last night's exhaustion had kept her from realizing this nightmare that she would be burdened with forever.

Ayato's brothers gawked at the two before Reiji broke the silence. "Well, if the morning entertainment is over – get ready for breakfast."

* * *

A/N: The crack is strong in this one. Please don't be taking this seriously.


	3. Chapter 3: Tender Rejection

"Yuuki, won't you come down to eat?"

The girl shook her head at Kanato.

"Sure?"

She nodded. "Where's Teddy?"

"Repairs," the boy grimaced. It was a rare sight to not see the toy tucked safely within his arms.

"Oh."

Unable to continue the conversation, he left her alone to join the others.

"Tch. Is she still locked up in her bedroom? What a handful." Reiji commented when Kanato reported his failure in the futile mission. The young man's external personality kept him from revealing his actual concern.

"I'll just take something up later," Ayato grumbled. He was in a bad mood since Yuuki had been depressed ever since her attempted suicide. She wouldn't join him in any activity, neither pushing him away nor ignoring him. Just complete listlessness for days on end. None of the brothers knew how to help her out because they had their own range of problems to deal with. Even their usual dinnertime silence seemed more melancholy than it used to be, back when they hadn't even met Yuuki. The atmosphere was stifling, so Ayato quickly escaped to visit her.

"Oi, pancake." Ayato balanced a silver tray in one hand and sauntered over to where she half-lay, half-sat on her bed. "Eat something."

"I can't."

"Yes, you can. You're going to starve at this rate."

Yuuki hesitated. He shoved a bite down the moment that she opened her mouth to respond.

"Don't talk, just eat."

"Ayato," she coughed. "It doesn't taste good. It's like sand."

"Don't complain... It's because you haven't had any blood lately."

"Huh?"

"Vampires need to drink blood in order to savor the taste."

"Oh."

"Yuuki, how long are you going to keep this up?" Her monosyllables were exasperating, completely unlike her normally vivid self.

"It's not like I can do anything about it."

Ayato set the tray aside and sat next to her. "Come on. There must be something."

She pursed her lips but remained quiet. He waited for her. "I want to see my family."

"Huh?" The desire made no sense to the child who had been neglected or abused by his parents.

"My father. I'm homesick."

"He's not even your real father, though."

"And I was told that I was coming to live with relatives, but you guys obviously aren't."

Ayato laughed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean that I care about you _even if we aren't related by blood._"

His expression dropped. "That's a bad joke, Yuuki."

She face-palmed when she realized her blunder. "Sorry, let's not bring up my heart. I know you don't like it."

Ayato picked up her hand and kissed it. "It's not like I hate your blood, though. I know I can achieve anything with you by my side."

Her smile didn't reach her eyes. She gently pulled her hand away.

"Do you mean it?" Ayato ventured cautiously. He didn't want to make her retreat any further into herself.

"... Mean what?"

"That you care about me."

She dropped her head onto his shoulder. "I meant all of you, silly. Don't be so possessive."

The response almost made him want to move away, but it's not like he got the chance to stay like this often.

"How many times do I have to say it, pancake? You're mine, and mine alone. So you have to take care of yourself."

"No, I am not your anything." Her tone was flat, without a tinge of sadness or rebelliousness. She was stating a fact - not justifying her independence or anything.

"Then marry me."

Yuuki blinked. Twice. Three times. "Say what?"

"Then you'll be my wife."

She laughed coldly. "Ayato, I-"

"I'm dead serious, Yuuki."

The girl grew silent. She seemed to be choosing her next words carefully. "I never dreamed of becoming a sacrificial bride."

"Marrying me is a sacrifice? Is being with me that bad?" He laced his fingers with hers, this time refusing to let go.

"No! No, of course not. But, Ayato, look at us. Look at me. We're so young, yet I don't see a future ahead of me. Would you be able to make me happy? Could I make you happy?"

"Of course you could."

Yuuki turned her face to examine Ayato better. She was blushing, which at least was a proper reaction. She gave him a kiss on the side of his chin. "I'm sorry, I can't. Not right now. It's asking for too much."

"Someday then." Why was she so freaking depressing all the damn time?

"Maybe. We'll have to see about that."

"Well, you have all the time in the world." He stood up and looked down at her. "But I better get a yes eventually. Not every girl gets a chance to be with someone as amazing as me."

The side of her lip twitched with a grin, and she pretended the lump in her throat wasn't there. "I know."

Ayato glanced at the door. "You better eat something, though. I'll get some blood for you to drink next time."

"Oh, please don't hurt some poor fellow." She knew what it was like to be victimized by human-esque mosquitoes first hand and wished that the same fate didn't befall anyone else.

"I can just get some from the hospital. The donors don't care where it goes. But I'll warn you - it's guaranteed to be low quality." He stuck his tongue out in disgust, and she giggled despite herself.

"That's fine with me. Thank you."

When Ayato left the room, she immediately buried her face into her hands and exhaled a breath that she was holding back.

_Sometimes it's not the world keeping you from attaining happiness – it's yourself. _She thought bitterly, unable to follow her own advice with such a heavy heart.

* * *

A/N: I AM SO SORRY TO ANY TRUE FANS. I have no clue as to how Ayato's actual proposal went so I just made things up and rolled with it. I know that they get married eventually but I apologize if this sucks. Please feel free to leave suggestions if this was unsatisfactory in any way.

Is anyone else feeling that extreme OOC-ishness I was referring to earlier? I certainly do.

Gosh this chapter was depressing. I didn't mean to write it like this, it just happened. _I was never in control of this train wreck in the first place exclamation-mark-number-one-number-one._ But don't fret, it'll get better. Time is healing afterall =3


	4. Chapter 4: Unexpected Friendship

The one who spent the most time with Yuuki other than Ayato turned out to be Kanato. He visited her room daily and they mastered nearly every two-person card game together. Kanato suggested a bet back when she had first started keeping to the area within her lair and the nearest bathroom, but she refused because "gambling was against God's way". Therefore, their time together was solely for good company and good conversation to keep themselves busy.

"Ahh, no not again!" Kanato cried out, dropping his hand onto the small table.

Yuuki smiled. "Don't worry, you won last time. It's my turn to shuffle."

"I'm bored, let's do something else," the boy complained.

"Like what? I can't think of anything we haven't played. And you got mad when I was doing well in chess."

"Let's play dress up."

Yuuki let out an unladylike snort. "Dress up? Like, you want to do my hair?"

"Sure. You can do mine, too."

"Well, I've never had a sister so... why not?"

The two settled in front of her vanity and Kanato happily started brushing her fair hair.

"You know what, Kanato? Awhile back I could have never imagined we'd become good friends like this... You've changed."

"Not really. I just gained new respect for you."

"Meaning?"

"I've come to learn that you're nearly as crazy as me."

"Soo you've always known tha-"

"I'm well aware that I'm not what others would call _normal_." He was rummaging through her dresser for hair bands.

"... When do you think Teddy will come back from repairs?"

"Whenever Reiji has time to sew his head back on."

"Oh?"

"He's busy with recovering the wing that burned down."

"What do you mean?"

"Haven't you heard? An entire part of the mansion's been destroyed in a fire. It's Laito's fault."

"When did this happen?" She asked, thoroughly surprised.

"The night of the awakening. Wow, you're slow to get with the program, Yuu-chan."

"It's not my fault. Nobody's telling me about it. So what did Laito do?"

"It sort of_ is_ your fault - you're the one locking yourself up in one tiny corner of the universe... Well, anyway. He decided to take care of my mother and my uncle once and for all with the help of some enchanted flames."

"Like the ones you used when..." She trailed off as she recalled the memory of Cordelia's first demise.

"I used purple flames. Laito used the green ones."

"Is there a difference?"

"They have slightly different effects."

"Hmm... Hey, do you think Reiji will visit me anytime soon?"

Teasing the most responsible one in the household had become a game in itself. The point was to avoid getting caught by the subject of ridicule, unless you wanted to face the "disciplinary consequences".

"The day that hell freezes over." The pair giggled, although Yuuki's seemed a little forced. "But you should be grateful to Reiji."

Yuuki perked up at the validation. "Why is that? Well, you know, I kind of figured - but I want to know _what _exactly I'm thankful for."

"He was the one who made the remedy that cured you."

"Oh wow, I do owe my life to that kind gentlemen." The mild sarcasm in her last two words were not lost. "Who else do I have to repay?"

"Well, I can pass. You'd probably get scared if you knew how I contributed."

"Wait, let me guess. Does this have anything to do with why precious Teddy was ripped up in the first place?"

"Bingo."

Yuuki clapped her hands. "But do tell, Kanato. It's not like I fear you anymore."

"I was the one who provided the ashes for the remedy. Can you guess who they were from?"

After a moment, her reflection expressed absolute horror. "Oh gosh, not your mother!"

"Really, Yuu-chan. You're a genius," Kanato praised. "Well, no... I was the one who mentioned ashes. And she's the only one who was burned other than Richter. But if that was the case, Laito would be the one to provide the final ingredient - not me."

"What does that have to do with Teddy?"

"Don't be dumb, Yuu-chan. Obviously because I hid the ashes in his stuffing. That way mother was mine and only mine."

"No wonder you'd become livid whenever Ayato hid it! That's so creepy, Kanato." Separating Teddy from its owner was a habitual form of teasing that usually ended in tears, to Ayato's great pleasure and amusement. The youngest triplet would taunt that their ages were swapped when the bear was eventually returned unharmed. Kanato and Ayato always pretended to hate the mere sight of each other, but Yuuki figured that the resident prankster was only having a little fun.

"I have a strange fascination for dead things. It's likely not a very healthy interest, but who cares?" Kanato shrugged, interrupting the girl's mental tangent. His so-called fascination was precisely the reason why he could connect with Yuuki after she had repeatedly tried to die on various occasions. "You shouldn't feel obligated to all of us, though. Subaru was the one who gave you the knife, so it's practically his fault that you tried to sacrifice yourself."

"No, I just didn't want a bloodbath! Don't point fingers at him."

"It's okay, I understand why you went ahead with your silly plan. You really _are_ insane for caring about us. We're your natural predators, you know."

"Not anymore. Well, Ayato still wants my blood but it looks like he's leaving me alone until I recover. Speaking of which, what about Shu and Ayato?"

"They pitied themselves and worried hopelessly over your still body."

"I would have never guessed. Huh. They're the one's that I had less-than-hopeless impressions of at first." She quickly glanced up at Kanato apologetically before continuing. "No offense to the rest of you, of course... Guess I shouldn't judge a book by it's cover."

"It's not your fault. We were really bad hosts, in all honesty."

Yuuki stared thoughtfully at Kanato's reflection in the mirror. "Kanato, you really _have_ changed. You're nicer now."

"Please don't misunderstand, Yuu-chan. I'm just as I've always been. I get attached easily, that's all."

"No, that's not possible. You must have always been like this deep down inside."

"You only believe that because you're my first living friend." Yuuki didn't need to be reminded. "Do you really think my various mannerisms were something I was born with?" Kanato continued after he let the thought sink in.

"Hmm... You've probably developed them over time." His past clearly explained why he became so twisted.

"Exactly. But what about my habit of playing with toys at our age? Is that something I naturally like or some I've simply grown accustomed to?"

"I wouldn't know."

"See, the truth is that my mother used to cheat on my father right in front of me when I was little, thinking that I wasn't paying attention..."

"Oh, that's so disgusting." Yuuki interjected.

"Agreed. I would keep busy with my play things in order to ignore her actions. Besides singing, I connected with my mother through my toys."

_Connected? I'd be traumatized._

"How scandalous. I'm surprised that you'd be willing to reveal something like that about Cordelia."

"I've learned to let go of my unhealthy attachment towards her recently."

"Does this _recently_ have anything to do with me?"

"It has everything to do with you, Yuu-chan."

"I don't know if I should be flattered."

"Well, take it as a compliment. You've shown me what a normal female is like."

Yuuki chuckled darkly and murmured that she was by no means a normal female.

"Because of that, I realized that my mother never did anything to act like a parent."

"She screwed your personality over?"

"I can blame her for all my problems. Ultimately, it's me who decides to act in the way I do."

Yuuki twisted around in her seat to pat Kanato affectionately on the cheek. "I'm so proud of you, Kanato. You've grown so much."

Kanato beamed.

"But seriously. How in the world am I a normal female? And why would that make you decide to befriend me?"

"You were the only person to ever fight earnestly with me outside of my family. And they either ignore or abuse me whenever I start whining."

"Nooo, you're not supposed to state a reason like that! That's not a _happy_ reason."

"Can't help it, it's the truth. Now how do you like this?" He gestured at her finished hairstyle.

"Very well done. Okay, it's your turn now."

"No, I want to apply makeup on you too."

"Kanato, can you become my professional assistant? I feel like a model."

"If I don't get bored of it too quickly."

He studied the palette and chose the color that he deemed best for her complexion. Yuuki watched her transformation with wonder.

"I would have never known that you were so creative."

"Welcome to the world of artists, where there's a little bit of insanity within all of us."

"Hahaha~" The joke made her grin from ear to ear.

"You laughed, Yuu-chan! That's great. I've been worried about that, you know."

"Have you? But I've been laughing all this time."

"I can tell when you're being sincere or not. I used to get really angry at you because you tried to be tactful and kiss up to me and stuff."

"I'm sorry. I was just trying to be nice." _Or, back then, trying to not make an enemy._

"I forgive you for putting the effort to try to understand me. It's my fault that it's an impossible feat."

"It's okay. Most of the time bullies have also been bullied. It's good that you broke through the vicious cycle."

"I'm not the only one who's changed. Yuu-chan, make sure to look carefully into that mirror and see what's causing your sadness, okay?"

"... Thank you, Kanato. That's enough for today."

"Are you sure? I haven't finished." The boy pouted at her reflection.

"I've learned a lot from you and I need to think things over. Besides, if you stay too long, Ayato will get jealous."

"Oh, don't worry, he already probably is. See you tomorrow then. Make sure to drink your cranberry juice."

"I'm not scared of it anymore!" Yuuki called over her shoulder as he shut the door. This too had become an inside joke between them.

The quiet that settled once Kanato went away always left her with mixed feelings of calm and privacy as well as an aching loneliness.

_Look at myself in the mirror, huh? Kanato, you could become a song writer at this point._

* * *

A/N: If you were able to follow that absurd conversation, then I applaud you. See what I mean by "this is complete nonsense"? Not only did Kanato drop his abusiveness, but he became _self reflective_. *theatrical gasp* This must be the apocalypse, I know. But he's never gonna drop his oddball craziness since that's what defines him... So apparently, he's going to have to become some famous artist (be it music, etc.) when he grows up, because that's the only field that celebrates your personality disorders.

But raise your hands if you want Kanato evolve into Sassy!Kanato, people. Because that idea seems strangely appealing...


	5. Chapter 5: Suffocation

_It's been ten minutes since Kanato's left already. I'm surprised Ayato didn't pop up yet._

As if on cue, she heard a quick knock on her door. Ayato never knocked.

_Who could that be?_

Yuuki opened up to see that it was indeed the boy she was expecting, but he was carrying too many things to be able to turn the knob himself.

"Ayato! Why didn't you just use your abilities to get in?"

"Well, for one, you threw a hissy fit the last time I appeared in here without warning," he said from behind the pile of stuff.

"That's because I was half naked!"

"And secondly-" He dropped his belongings on the bed, which she skimmed over quickly.

"- What, are you planning to sleep over or something? That's out of the question."

Ayato turned around to argue his position before whistling and checking her out from head to toe.

"Why are you all dressed up, pancake?"

"Just Kanato messing around like usual," she explained hastily, fidgeting under his gaze. He was enjoying her appearance far too much. "Stop staring!"

"So how come Kanato's allowed to come and go as he pleases, and I'm kicked out the second I set foot near you?"

"_Well, for one_..." She giggled internally when he realized that she was borrowing his phrase. "He's not attempting to get into my pants whenever we're alone together."

"Okay, hold on. I don't do that." Ayato flushed a deep shade of tomato.

"But you make it obvious that you want to."

"Hey, at least I'm waiting until marriage."

"I never said yes."

"But you never said no. Besides, we've slept together before. What's the problem now?"

"Ayato," she enunciated with exasperated syllables, "those were _circumstances_."

"Not the first time."

"Well the first time, it was kind of hard to defy you without fearing for my physical well-being."

"Yet you still defied me."

"You don't have a problem with me acting a little gutsy, do you?"

He couldn't come up with a good retort, so he returned to his original point.

"ANYWAY, I brought all this crap over so I could sleep here on the floor."

"Why go through the trouble?" She leaned on a pole that held up the bed curtains and crossed her arms.

"You want me to join you?" He pointed at the mattress.

"Don't be ridiculous."

"Gahh~" Ayato exhaled loudly. "You know, it's a blessing we vampires don't die of things like blue balls."

Yuuki swatted him with his own pillow, and then pushed him out into the corridor.

"Go back. This isn't your room."

"Then you have to come to mine tonight." Ayato said, completely adamant that they were going to sleep together. Yuuki had never once stepped into any of their bedrooms. Initially, she avoided exploring their chambers because of what Reiji had said when he caught them skipping class together, but now she didn't feel like wandering the mansion grounds at all.

"No way in hell. What's up with you today?"

"Nothing's up with me. What's up with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You've been acting strange, recently. It's like you're tuning me out."

"Don't be a jealous little girlfriend, Ayato. You know how much I'm going through."

"Doesn't mean you can kick me out. This_ is_ my house." She couldn't argue with that.

"Well, it turns out that I don't owe anything to you." _According to Kanato's information, that is._

"Huh? You've vowed to dedicate yourself to me, dummy."

"Not at all. You just told me to._ I _never responded."

"Well then, what are you waiting for?"

"I don't know why you're rushing things. Swearing your life to someone else is a big deal."

"Exactly. So just pledge yourself to me already."

"That's what I'm saying – why the rush?"

"Because you seem to be distracted really easily, pancake."

"What - is this about the others now?"

"If you would start paying more attention to m-"

"I actually have a reason to be grateful to them. _They saved my life!_ I heard you and Shu just sat on your lazy asses."

"Did not! Who do you think dueled Richter for your sake?"

"And _lost_."

"Only because that bastard was using you as a shield."

"Guess who had to put herself on the death row anyway?"

"That's not my fault. That was your own damned idea."

"Not your fault!? I did it for you, Ayato!"

"Well screw me, because I was trying to protect you!"

"Reiji~!" a voice interrupted loudly. "I ran out of popcorn! Make some more for me, will you?"

"Laito?!" Both of them were shocked to see him standing a few feet away, munching on typical movie theater condiments.

"Oh, were you done? Darn, I thought the show had a longer run time."

"What are you talking about?" Ayato growled. Laito seemed unfazed and smirked.

"Heh, that was one of the stupidest lovers' quarrels I have ever seen. Please try to do better next time."

"Lovers' quarrel!?" Yuuki asked, annoyed that anyone would call their argument that. She and Ayato were not lovers.

"Obviously." He tossed the empty popcorn bag behind him and smiled. "Koinu, you're looking very nice today. Doesn't it make you want to go outside?"

"Thanks but no thanks."

"Eh~? But I thought of personally escorting you."

Ayato put his arm around Yuuki possessively. She nudged him away, but stayed put.

"Sorry, but she's not a dog you can just take out for a walk."

"What he said." Yuuki agreed before whispering harshly, "Now, get yer arm off."

Instead, Ayato picked the girl up and tossed her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"This one's already taken, Laito. Go find some other entertainment," he suggested before walking back into room and slamming the door loudly behind them.

"Ayato, let me down!" Yuuki protested, hitting her balled fists against his back.

He discarded her next to his scattered pile.

"Ugh. You could have been more gentle."

"Yuuki." His voice was a quiet snarl. He never used her name unless he was about to say something important, so she immediately looked up to match his serious attitude. He leaned over her until she was pressed against the mattress, his hands on either side of her.

"Yuuki," he repeated. "You know already. So why are you refusing to spend time with me?"

She remained silent because all he was asking for was a little attention. Their position made her feel like he had the upper hand. Literally. Ayato was painfully close, their noses almost touching. He didn't move when she meekly pushed him.

"Are you that starved, Ayato? That you'll disregard my values for your own selfishness?" She wanted to place the blame elsewhere, though she knew perfectly well that she was the guilty party.

His eyebrow wrinkled in confusion. "What nonsense are you babbling about, pancake?"

"Don't act all innocent. You're the one spouting nonsense here. You're not waiting for marriage at all."

_Oof, that's taking it a little to far..._ Yuuki told herself. Ayato was restraining his desires for her sake, but here she was claiming that he would rob her of her purity.

"That's not what I'm doing at all. Don't make false accusations."

"Well then I don't see why you're clinging onto me."

"You're a power bank. I need you to help me." Ayato never begged, he always demanded. "Without you, I can't be the best."

"Why? Why do I have to give _you _my blood?"

"You owe it to me. I know you love me too."

_Oh, no. You're not playing that card._

"What about you, then? Do you care more about me or my blood?" She answered her own question, "If I didn't have your mother's heart, you wouldn't have looked at me for a second."

"Maybe not at first, pancake." Ayato admitted. "But I honestly want you to spend the rest of your life with me."

"Because you think of me as your possession." She pat his crumpled blanket for emphasis.

"I just said that you're mine. Not as a possession."

Yuuki found herself growing more annoyed. "Same thing, idiot." She forcefully shoved against him until he was once again standing above her.

"No, it's not."

"Yes it is." Yuuki insisted.

"Don't compare yourself to a stupid blanket. You're worth more than that."

"Prove it."

"Because I said so."

"That means nothing to me." _Stop acting like you're God's gift to the world, Ayato._

"Well, does this change anything?" He stole a kiss from her, before swiftly returning to his previous stance as if nothing happened.

She blushed. _Damn this cocky bastard._

"You and your evil ways..." Yuuki cursed aloud.

"What's so evil about that?"

"You tricked me into a reaction. It's playing dirty." She covered her lips with the back of her hand, her eyes trained on his things.

"It's not a trick, pancake. It's the truth."

When he didn't get a response, he sighed, picked up his pile and disappeared. Their fight was going nowhere.

Yuuki could not deny it. Because the truth was that she was suffocating in her own prison.

* * *

A/N: You know what's most frustrating about this chapter? They're fighting although there's absolutely no misunderstandings in between them. Ayato and Yuuki are perfectly aware of how the other feels but are just being _stubborn_. Ugh, I know... I must admit that I'm amused at my creative freedom with E&E, but my cynicism is oozing through the cracks.


	6. Chapter 6: Conflicting Emotions

Ayato tossed and turned on his favorite couch, his face a mask of utter discontentment.

"Look on the bright side, Ayato." Laito lightly chided. "The fact that she argued with you means she's starting to come out of her shell, right?"

"Do I look overjoyed to you?"

Laito sighed. "You're probably the one to blame, anyway. I'm sure you tried taking advantage of her or something."

"I did not!"

"Well, I'm still siding with Koinu-cchi, since she's more level headed than you."

Ayato's frown deepened. "She's the one being all moody."

"Yeah, says the sulky little boy."

"Shut up."

"Oh-Kay. It's not my problem."

Ayato's frustration grew by the second. Yuuki's constant rejection of his advances didn't add up. And why the hell was she having another damned play date with Kanato? He couldn't stand watching her acting all defenseless and happy with his crybaby womb-mate.

Laito's fingers played on invisible piano keys at the ends of his armrest. He was getting restless.

"You know what, Ayato?" Laito piped up. "I'm going to go join those two. Wanna tag along?"

Although the idea of crashing their little tea party with his sub-zero degree mood seemed appealing, Ayato didn't want to face Yuuki. She couldn't see how much he'd been lowering himself for her sake. It's like his effort to keep from exuding his awesomeness with every breath went completely unnoticed. Some people were so ungrateful.

Laito took his silence for a "no" and left the youngest of the triplets to mope by himself.

* * *

Back in her bedroom, the purple-haired brother found himself having to deal with a frustrated vampirette (which was never a good thing).

"Can you believe it, Kanato? He's being so unbelievably pushy." Yuuki complained, breathless from her previous ranting.

"It's only because he likes you, Yuu-chan." He stated absently as he held up a dress. "I think you should wear this one."

Yuuki puffed. "No, no. That's too fancy, Kanato. I'm not in the mood for it."

"Yuu-chan, my patience is wearing thin."

She plopped down on her seat and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to bore you."

"You can try to make amends if it makes you this unhappy."

"That would be the mature thing to do. But he can't boss me around just because he likes me."

"It's not like you don't like him back. Didn't I tell you to stop making yourself miserable yesterday?"

"I wouldn't expect myself to follow the advice of a psychotic vampire so easily," she let slip without thinking.

"That's harsh, you know..."

"Oh gosh, Kanato." Yuuki gasped when she realized what she had just uttered. "Don't take it personally – I just have a bad temper. No wait, don't cry! I didn't mean it."

"An apology isn't enough." Kanato sniffled.

"Sorry, sorry! I'll wear the dress, okay? So take it easy."

"Really?"

Yuuki thanked her stars that he was relatively easy to please. "Yes, really. So go stand in the corridor."

"Okay," Kanato happily complied. Laito was standing outside, just about to knock.

"Oh. Hold on a moment - she's about to change." Kanato shut the door behind him. "What are you doing here?"

"Paying Koinu a visit. Ayato's bringing_ my _spirits down."

"Same here." The brothers sighed collectively.

"Somehow, we both got caught up in this mess." Laito mused.

"Wish they would hurry up and get over it."

"Their too stubborn to do anything by themselves, though."

A muffled call interrupted their rare, brotherly heart-to-heart. "Kanato, you can come in now!"

"Yuu-chan, guess who came to cheer you up."

"Hello, Laito." Yuuki greeted tersely.

"My, you look more stunning everyday, Koinu-cchi."

The object of appreciation was not flattered. "Thank Kanato for that."

"Mm. I was wondering if you'd come down to the library today. I need a suitable audience."

"An audience for what?" The invitation was a futile effort from the start.

"Well, it would be sad if my piano playing fell on deaf ears, wouldn't it?"

"That's a good idea." Kanato voiced. "Some music would be a nice change of pace."

"Then you can just sing for me, right Kanato? Sorry Laito, but you'll just have to practice on your own."

* * *

Ayato had started to wander around while brooding, letting his feet lead him to God-knows-where without a care. When he came to his senses, he found himself standing in front of Yuuki's bedroom and heard a squeal and subsequent laughter from within. His curiosity won over his hesitation, so he entered her room.

Laito had somehow coaxed her into dancing with him, and Kanato clapped along to a happy tune as the duo twirled around at the foot of her bed.

Kanato's singing abruptly stopped when he saw Ayato at the door. Yuuki was the last one to notice the intrusion, nearly tripping on Laito's foot when he didn't sway as expected. The grin melted off her face. Laito steadied her reflexively and the three stared at Ayato with uncertainty and caution.

"Ayato..." Yuuki whispered, looking positively frightened and mortified.

He was livid. The sight of Yuuki in the arms of the eldest triplet immediately ignited his already-simmering unhappiness.

"Didn't I," the red-head started slowly, "tell you two bastards?" He reached out and grabbed Laito by the collar. Nobody moved. "Keep your _filthy_ hands off my Yuuki!" Ayato roared and threw Laito into the air.

"WHAT THE HELL, AYATO?!" Yuuki screamed as Laito flew into Kanato and they crashed against the vanity. She covered her mouth in horror. Her broken mirror amplified the scene.

Ayato slapped the girl. She held her offended cheek with a terrified expression.

"And you," he snarled. "Are you trying to become a slut?"

"You. Bastard!" Yuuki yelped, landing a sucker punch squarely on his chest. He stumbled to the ground. "If you have a problem with me, then deal with it directly. Don't you dare hurt your own freaking brothers. They have nothing to do with this!"

"It's alright," Laito called out, helping Kanato up. "We're fine. A toss like that doesn't hurt much."

His interjection didn't do much to douse Yuuki's fury. The two stayed in the room if only to mediate and make sure things didn't escalate. Yuuki sat on top of Ayato's stomach to keep him from getting up.

"You idiot!" She battered his chest with her fists.

Tears were streaking down her face. Ayato lay speechless, a part of him wanting to reach out and wipe them away. He didn't mean to make her cry.

"Let's go," Kanato whispered to Laito. It didn't look like they'd have to break the two children apart after all. If things went well, they would probably make up. Maybe even make out.

Laito nodded silently and the two left to give the couple some much-needed privacy. He had a feeling that things would get worse if they continued to involve themselves.

"Don't you dare look away from the problem, Ayato." She continued with broken sobs. "Don't you dare look away from me."

That's not what she had meant to say. It's just what stumbled out of her mouth. Her inner thought was reflected on Ayato's surprised face.

He didn't resist her physical attacks, since they were nothing in comparison to the blow to his heart.

"Never again, never again..." Yuuki weakly repeated with each strike. It was like she was hitting herself. Breaking her walls down. Ayato grabbed her fist to stop her from continuing.

"Never again." Ayato agreed solemnly.

* * *

A/N: See? I won't leave you guys hanging forever, no matter how sadistic my writing style is. Frankly, I don't understand what the problem was in the first place, but at least Ayato and Yuuki are finally on the same page. It's suitable that they make up via another fight - I'm not an avid believer in "love conquers all" ^,^'

Now, I think Shu, Reiji, and Subaru need to be addressed. They've been absent for far too long.


	7. Chapter 7: Unfulfilled Vengeance

"Shu, have you called that man yet?"

The young man opened an eye to see Reiji, who looked down at him with a sour face.

"Yes," the eldest answered curtly.

"What did he say?"

"He's annoyed that we've destroyed his castle. He'll take care of the money to fix it."

"Tch. I'll need to punish Laito later." He re-adjusted his glasses.

"What for?" Shu yawned disinterestedly.

"It's thanks to him that I have so much extra work."

"Oh, I thought you liked being in control of the household affairs."

Reiji frowned. "It's supposed to be your responsibility as the head of the family. When will you stop being such a lazy brat?"

"It's a nuisance." Shu rolled over. "Besides, we've gotten rid of those two because of Laito. There's no need to start a riot."

"_Pushing the workload onto me again._" Reiji thought bitterly, crossing his arms. "Did you tell our father _why_ the wing burned down?" he asked aloud.

"Obviously."

"And?"

"He never loved that woman anyway. And Richter was dead to him ever since they broke ties," he added apathetically.

"True," Reiji admitted, although he was growing more and more annoyed. His older brother obviously took love for granted.

Construction noises pierced through the hostile silence.

"Ugh." Shu covered his ears with a decorative pillow. "Not again."

"How about you go babysit Yuuki?" Reiji suggested, equally distressed. "You can't hear it from her side of the mansion."

"Good idea. How is she doing?"

"You can find out for yourself... I heard that the younger ones are bickering among themselves."

"What a handful." Shu sat up.

"Agreed. I'm going to go supervise the workers since you won't bother to do anything productive."

"I might have it if it weren't so loud and obnoxious," he said while standing up, "but I'll survive." He tuned up the volume on his mp3 player to the point where others could faintly hear the music blaring from the earbuds. Reiji secretly wished that they would deafen him, so that Shu would be robbed of the only joy in his pitiful existence.

"This isn't the first fire that's ruining my life..." Shu muttered to himself before leaving to go visit Yuuki.

The sentiment went unacknowledged, although it was clearly heard by the second son. Shu never knew that it was in fact _Reiji_ who had burned down the village of his best friend, Edgar. And until revealing the truth would be prove beneficial to him as a weapon against his older brother, it would remain a secret forever.

"You will definitely learn the horrors of ignoring our mother's attention one day." Reiji scowled. "I will strictly commit it to your memory."

* * *

A/N: Although Laito and Kanato have uncharacteristically been getting along because of Yuuki, it doesn't change the fact that the members of the Sakamaki family technically still hate each other. Reiji's jealousy will probably last until his immortal life ends. However if they put their mutual dislike aside, I feel like Shu and Reiji would understand each other best.


	8. Chapter 8: Quiet Acceptance

Yuuki returned to her room after a nice, long bath to see a lump underneath her covers. A glance at her destroyed vanity made her sigh for the umpteenth time.

"Ayato, you better take responsibility and replace it for me... It's your fault," she muttered as she climbed on top of the bed.

"What are you mumbling about?"

"Shu?! What are you doing here?"

"Taking a nap."

"Well, I can see that." The scenario seemed oddly familiar. "You better get out before Ayato murders you."

"Mm, but it's nice and comfortable here..."

Yuuki tried rolling him off the bed. He was far too heavy for her, regardless of her increased strength.

"Can you move, please?"

"Make me," he replied, unconcerned.

"Ugh, I already tried if you haven't noticed." She stood up anyway and lightly kicked his side with her foot.

"Light blue..."

"Huh?"

"Your panties."

Yuuki flushed with embarrassment. "You pervert! What the hell are you looking at? Forget Ayato - I'll kill you myself."

Shu chuckled and closed his eyes again. Yuuki gave up and plopped down beside him.

"I'm being serious, you know."

"If it bothers you that much, why don't you go sleep somewhere else?"

"You can't kick me out of my own room!"

"I'm sure Ayato would be happy to accept your company."

"I'm sure he would."

"Feel bad for the guy... Liking a girl who wears unsexy underwear..."

Yuuki smothered him with a pillow.

"I'm not wearing them for _you._ Why are you always teasing me like this?"

Shu yawned and rolled away from her. "If you have nothing interesting to say, then can't you stay silent?"

"Well, I'm sorry." Yuuki replied sarcastically, resting her head on top of her knees. She wrapped her arms around her legs.

Shu's general disinterest in her wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Had she chosen him, she'd probably be able to live in peace. But it would be an extremely dull existence. Cordelia had said it best - boredom was the worst trial an immortal could face. In that sense, Ayato could provide her with an eventful and exciting life, no matter how much they'd argue in between.

"Hey, Shu?"

The young man grunted in reply.

"What do you think about becoming my older brother?"

"Huh?"

"If I marry Ayato." Yuuki blushed and twiddled her fingers. "Hypothetically, of course."

"Oh." Shu sat up lazily. "Honestly, I don't really care about my siblings. Don't know what you're expecting..."

"I was an only child," Yuuki explained. She wasn't looking him directly in the eye.

Although her shyness was endearing, the male realized that he didn't necessarily want to sleep with a little sister... Babysitting, indeed. Shu smirked and tousled her hair.

"I don't think I would dislike it," he admitted before getting off her bed and disappearing. The girl stared at the empty space left behind for a moment.

"What was that about?" Yuuki asked herself, bewildered.

It had certainly been a very odd exchange - in a family that was never quite normal.

* * *

A/N: With all the pillow-whacking that goes on, I wonder why they haven't just held a household pillow fight already... Ooh, wait, that sounds like a fun idea =]

Decided to give y'all a nice, quiet chapter for once. And Yuuki spends the bulk of it thinking about you-know-who. Isn't it sweet? Just kidding ;) I won't let them get together until things have been broken and many other things have been fixed. Cheers!


	9. Chapter 9: Nitty-Gritty Circumstances

Yuuki quietly watched the sky lighten, gradually transitioning between night to day.

The refreshingly chilly morning air would have once made her shiver, but her skin simply matched the cool temperature. The warmth was apparently one human quality that Ayato missed. Despite that small detail, he remained exceedingly pleased with the idea that she had joined the rank of the immortals and would therefore be able to live by his side forever.

To her, the promise of eternity was still quite frightening. She had retreated into a corner, trying to deny the expanse of time before her. If she could accept the truth, then maybe another sunrise wouldn't bear so heavily on her mind. Yuuki turned away from her balcony.

She had forgotten that there were servants within the mansion - nearly invisible, but always present when necessary. They were the ones who cleaned up the shattered furniture within her room. The wall where her vanity used to stand seemed empty, and she almost envied it. Someone knocked on her door to disrupt her churning thoughts.

"Good morning, Reiji." Yuuki greeted as he walked in. "You must have just come back from school."

"Yes, and that's precisely what I came to discuss."

"I refuse to go."

"I'm aware. However, I still hold judicial power over your actions."

"How would my attending school benefit you, Reiji?"

"None whatsoever. It's what we've been ordered to do as your hosts."

"My absence hasn't caused a problem so far."

"It seems that unexplained disappearance is quite common in our school. Don't think that we can't cause yours. That said, people will start to question your supposed illness soon."

"The Sakamaki household has enough influence to keep people quiet."

"This is not the problem, Yuuki."

"Then what is?"

"It's your education. Therefore, if you continue to defy your responsibilities and not attend school - I will be forced to act as your instructor."

Yuuki shuddered. God knows how tough he'd be if she made a single mistake.

"I would rather avoid that, as I'm busy with the recovery of the mansion. And Kanato is starting to become quite a headache."

"Meaning?"

"He complains that if I have enough time to tutor you, then I should fix his stuffed toy."

Yuuki laughed. "Why not just have him learn how to sew by himself?"

"I am perfectly capable of such a simple task."

"I'm not mocking your capabilities, Reiji. It's a practical skill. Besides, if Kanato learns it, he can put it into good use."

"How so?"

"I feel like he could become a fashion designer or something. He's quite talented, you know."

Reiji scowled. "I wouldn't put such a sissy hobby past him."

"That's cruel! Don't degrade his strengths like that. Nobody likes a bully." She defended. "Oh yea, how is Subaru doing, by the way? I haven't seen him in ages."

"I tend to leave the others alone if they do likewise."

Yuuki stretched. "Mm, maybe he's avoiding me. He's a lone wolf after all."

"Hm," Reiji surveyed her room. "Looks like they've cleaned up. I've already ordered the new furniture for you."

"Oh, thank you very much."

"I must thoroughly discipline Ayato and Laito for destroying things left and right without regard for the fact that I'm the one who has to clean up afterward."

Yuuki smiled sympathetically. "You must be exhausted."

"Quite so." He stated in his butler-like manner. Yuuki sat down on her bed.

"I've forgotten to thank you."

"Are you experiencing amnesia, young lady?"

She waved her hand. "Not for the vanity. For saving my life. I heard that you had created the remedy for my revival. Did you make it in the lab next door?"

"Obviously... There's no particular reason to be grateful. It was my duty."

"Of course there is, Reiji. Somehow, you've become a guardian to me. See, you even scold me when I act stubborn and childish and refuse to go to school. You even offered to help me catch up. So, thank you. For putting up with all of this." She gestured at herself.

Reiji remained silent because he didn't know how to respond. Nobody ever thanked him for his efforts. He felt a bubbling sensation in his chest, which somewhat alarmed him. Was something wrong with his physical condition? Maybe the stress really_ was_ getting to him. Vampires weren't all-powerful beings, although they possessed heightened endurance. He should always be aware of his own limits.

"Ah, that reminds me."

Yuuki perked up.

"Blood or cranberry juice?"

"Blood today, I'm afraid," Yuuki grimaced. Reiji snapped his fingers and a fresh glass of red liquid was delivered on a silver tray via a maid who belonged to a haunted house. Yuuki's logical side reminded her that she was practically living in a haunted house. In fact, she could be considered one of the main attractions.

The girl chugged the drink as if it was medicine. "Why is it always so gross?" She asked, wiping her stained lips. "Aren't I supposed to like it now that I'm a vampire?"

"Firstly, that hospital-grade, low quality blood tastes disgusting to any vampire. Secondly, it was once frozen and needed to be thawed out."

"Can I have that cranberry juice after all? I need to wash off this taste."

After taking a few sips, Yuuki exhaled deeply with relief. "Ah, much better."

She swished the glass around and was reminded of an issue that had been nagging her for the past few days.

"Reiji, can I ask a question before you go?" She put the glass down on the nightstand and braced herself.

"What is it?"

"Do female vampires have periods?"

"Huh?" He blurted - a glaring lapse in his perfectly-composed exterior. She had never seen the young man so caught of guard in her life.

"You know... time of the moon? Menstrual cycles?"

"Yes, yes, I'm aware." In fact, all the vampires in the household had been painfully aware of her monthly schedule. They had found it easier to avoid her during those few days as much as possible. The convenience of living with a human did have it's consequences. "And no, they do not."

"Then how do they become pregnant?" Yuuki asked, quite shocked at the revelation.

"Like normal," Reiji nearly whimpered. Although his complete embarrassment_ was_ quite amusing, she needed to provide him an escape for etiquette's sake.

"Sorry, I know it's awkward. I was just wondering since I was late. Thanks for answering my question."

Reiji coughed in acknowledgment before exiting the bedroom swiftly.

She burst out laughing once he was gone and definitely out of earshot. "Oh my! What a scene. Well, I'm sure a vampirette on the rag would be a terrifying experience in itself."

Her laughter faded into a soft chuckle.

"Oh, but that means-" Yuuki blushed and covered her face at the thought that all the males in vicinity knew exactly when to leave her alone. She hadn't given it proper thought before. "I'm so stupid! Of course they did. Of course it wasn't a coincidence."

The conversation would be be forever ingrained in her memory for various reasons, but at least it humanized the most uptight of the brothers.

* * *

A/N: Just try and tell me that you weren't wondering, because the thought has probably crossed your mind at one point. Sorry to all you Reiji fangirls - he has somehow become the "strict father figure". I don't know exactly how it happened, but it did. Oh well. I thought it'd be cute if he felt embarrassed about the facts of life, like a father who has to give the birds and the bees talk... Yes, I just said the word "cute" to describe him. Problem?

This chapter is a prime example of how I deal with reverse harems when I've already picked a route. The extras shall be given new roles even if they're perfectly eligible to be lovers. Yuuki was never a promiscuous girl. She was raised by a church, gosh darn it. She will never go down that path, no matter how much the fanbase's dirty minds roar!

(Also, we've had a cameo appearance of Yuuki's logical side if you've noticed. I missed that little bugger.)


	10. Chapter 10: The Path of Guilt

Subaru stared at the direction of Yuuki's window from the garden. Because the construction of the ruined wing was nearly finished, a few moments of peace and quiet occasionally fell upon the household. It was a rare opportunity to feel like he was still in touch the rest of the world - that their timelines were ticking to the same tune.

Normally, it seemed like he was stuck in a limbo, totally forgotten amidst the buzzing activity. Even when the Ayato fought Laito for the sake of one girl and her happiness, even when Shu (who seemed to be in a fairly good mood) had actually done some trivial activity without prompting and surprised everyone else, even when Kanato had started a boatload of random hobbies, and even when Reiji stepped over everyone's toes trying to keep things running smoothly - he felt disconnected. Overshadowed by his older brothers with nothing to show for himself.

Subaru was _useless_. He was unwanted and filthy. He was unnecessary. His existence was born through an accident. Maybe he should try that locking-oneself-up thing that seemed to be in trend lately. That physical prison could at least announce it's presence to the world.

So he just stared at her window, trying to figure out how she felt from afar. Maybe it was borderline stalker-ish activity, but he couldn't help from comparing her to his mother. The thought frightened him. Was she hiding from him, or was he hiding from her? Why could the others walk freely in and out of her room without hindrance when he felt chains of guilt holding him back?

But what right did he have in the first place? He couldn't protect Yuuki when it had mattered. Subaru was powerless when it came to those he cared about. That's why he broke whatever was in front of him whenever he got angry - he was simply frustrated with himself. That's why he couldn't bear to face Yuuki. He was afraid that he'd break her, too...

Such a destructive person should not exist. That was the only conclusion he could come to. Subaru took out the accursed silver knife, the source of his misery. Maybe it was time. He needed to be punished for his sins...

* * *

A/N: Suicidal Subaru needs an appropriately serious chapter. I know this was badly written. Forgive me, I'll make it up with a better one. Real life is calling for my attention.

Funny how Ayato and Subaru beat themselves up for nearly the same reason. I'm sorry for being so unoriginal. But gosh, now that I think about it - those two are pretty alike in the sense that they are both tsundere. The big difference was their relationship with their mothers. Therefore, one has an inflated (yet fragile) ego, the other has an extremely low self-esteem. And they both make me wave my hands around in large, exasperated gestures ;)


	11. Chapter 11: Affectionate Nature

A/N: Before we get to the party, I need to say something to all my readers. I promise to keep it short =]

If you've left a review or have followed me or my stories – please turn your private messaging on. I'd really love to thank you personally and show how much you mean to me. I want to properly respond to any of your comments or questions or even suggestions. The problem is that I'm a rambler and don't want my author's notes to be as long as my chapters in order to justify my creative decisions when a personal conversation will suffice. Alrighty, now that that's over and done with, on to the story...

* * *

"And look at this one, too," he pointed out enthusiastically.

"Wow, Kanato, you're impressing me more and more everyday!"

Yuuki's compliments made him blush. At her encouragement, he had started delving into creative past-times left and right. He'd eagerly show her the finished products, and she would always stop whatever she was doing in order to give a hundred percent of her concentration. They became something that Yuuki genuinely praised and looked forward to, since life would be boring without the entertainment he provided. Sometimes he would sing to her, other days he would dress her up, or display his new creation. She filled that empty space in his heart with motherly attention. Over a relatively short period of time, Kanato had mellowed down by putting his energy into productive endeavors.

Yuuki had never expected to unveil such a prodigy. Who knew that Kanato's perceived insanity was a side effect of being an unpolished diamond in the rough? He was bubbling up with unsatisfied capabilities which would occasionally overflow when he couldn't take it anymore. Kanato was a victim of talent. Yuuki had simply taught him how to use it as a tool rather than a weapon against himself and those around him. All he needed was a gentle push in the right direction.

_If I can do something to help the people around me_, Yuuki thought,_ then I don't feel like cursing my situation anymore._

Sometimes, the genius was standing right in front of you. You just failed to recognize them. It takes all sorts of people to raise a single child. Yuuki was proud to be "one of those people" for the vampire sitting next to her. He put his things away before looking up at her with a somewhat concerned face.

"Yuu-chan..."

"Hmm?"

"I've been trying to stick Teddy's head back on, but it's not working out." He held up the toy to show her.

"You're supposed to take the stuffing out first!"

"Oh. No wonder."

Yuuki chuckled. "But I don't know how to sew, so make sure to ask Reiji if you have any questions."

"But he's such a mean teacher."

Yuuki nodded gravely. "But even then... he knows better than me."

"Yuu-chan, you look like you've just swallowed a cup of lemon juice!" Kanato laughed.

She was indeed cringing. Her study sessions with Reiji were just as scary as she had expected them to be. It might be easier on herself to simply go back to school, but she didn't want to end her seclusion right after she had reconciled with Ayato. It would make it seem like her happiness was dependent on him – not something she come to terms with for herself. She was struggling to find solid ground in a transitional phase in her life. Yuuki had a hard time being decisive when her mindset was still shaky. And why should she intentionally jump out of the frying pan and into the fire until she felt prepared to do so?

"Well," Kanato stood up, "I'm going now." He poked his head back into the room a second after he walked out. "Oh, a mister frowny-face is here to see you." Kanato demonstrated the bitter expression before cracking a nutty smile of his own. "Bye-bye!"

_Ayato? Noo, wait. Please - not Reiji! _

She immediately started pleading for mercy the second her door opened once again.

"I'm so sorry! Please forgive my lost soul! I admit it - I haven't finished the packet yet. Come back later!" Yuuki begged earnestly, frantically bowing with her entire body. She continued yapping like a distressed puppy, "Actually, no - let Shu teach me instead! Please? He listens to you, Reiji. Just-"

"Uh..." It wasn't the voice she was expecting.

"Huh?" Yuuki opened her eyes to see the youngest brother standing before her. She could literally hear the crickets chirping.

"Oh, it's just you, Subaru." She sighed with relief before blushing. "Err, ignore all of that. By the way, where have you been all this time? I've been missing your face, you know!"

Subaru blinked, rendered speechless for a few seconds. He was not expecting to see her so energetic and _healthy_. And did he hear her right? Had she really missed him?

"Not Reiji." He burped, unable to offer a proper response.

Yuuki giggled nervously. "I can see that. What brings you here today?"

Subaru's face darkened, reminded of the reason why he had come to see her in the first place.

Yuuki immediately grew serious, as his expression told her that he wasn't here for fun and games.

"What's the matter?" Her maternal instincts switched on as her "antenna" picked up on distress signals. Equating her to a loyal puppy was truly a proper comparison. She was acting just like man's best friend - upset when those around her were sad, content when those around her were happy. Her sense of emotions were as keen as any female's, regardless of whether it was a dog-like characteristic or not.

"I thought that you had the right to know..." Subaru started.

* * *

A/N: Ugh, I know. Another cliffhanger... I'm busy, guys. I promise that I'll finish this mini-arc as soon as possible, so please bear with me. Until then, I hope you enjoy this little chapter and have a wonderful day ^_^ But in regards to the actual developments brewing - I think it's a good thing that Subaru had not seen Yuuki until her spirits were back up. We need some serious healing here.


	12. Chapter 12: Retribution

"So that's why... Why the hell are _you_ crying?!"

"Because," Yuuki babbled, wiping a tear with the heel of her palm, "it's so _sad_. I feel bad for poor Christa. I never had a reason to dislike Karlheinz before, but now I understand why you hate him."

Subaru's immediate reaction to his father's name turned out to be a fist, but he slowly unclenched it when Yuuki rested her hand lightly on him. The pressure was reassuring.

It was hard to talk about his mother. To tell Yuuki about how Christa was forced into marriage and that he was conceived when she had been raped. To admit his guilt for her death. At some points, his anger boiled over and he threw a pillow at the wall or something in his rage. But Yuuki always stopped him, calmed him down, and coaxed him to continue. The girl nervously explained that she didn't want more of her furniture to be broken. And she listened without interruption, wearing a sympathetic expression – like she understood every word that he was saying.

"Here. I wanted to apologize for putting this burden on you," Subaru stated as he took out the silver knife. She stared at it blankly when he tried to hand it to her and it infuriated him. It was not often that the he said wimpy things like "apologize" god dammit. Why the hell was Little Miss Waterworks making things more challenging when they were already difficult in the first place?

"Why are you giving this back to me?" she inquired while starting to reach for it.

"Because I need you to fulfill my request. There's nobody else who can do it." He knew what he was asking for was downright cruel. He had to go through the guilt of killing an innocent person once, and now was forcing that experience upon someone else. But suicide was not retribution enough. He needed to be punished. "I know it's selfish of me, but-"

"It is selfish."

"Huh?"

Yuuki was angry. Her expression hardened, and it was the steel in her voice that had surprised him.

"How dare you expect me to do something like this?" She demanded, but her lips started to quiver once again. "How dare you think so low of yourself?" Yuuki started sobbing, and it became Subaru's turn to try to comfort her and get her to act rationally.

"Subaru, you are _not_ filthy. You are _not_ unwanted and useless. You most definitely are _not_ guilty for what I did to myself," Yuuki continued once she recovered her ability to speak. Her sleeves were wet with her tears. "I wanted to _thank_ you all this time. You were the only one who tried to help me out back then, and even gave me an escape. And it was because of you that we were able to get an upper hand over that wretched woman in the first place. So don't beat yourself up for it, Subaru. Because I couldn't bear it if you disappeared in such a lonely way."

Flabbergasted. That was the only way to describe his condition. Was this for real? Had some entity really felt this way about someone as small and insignificant as him _all this time_?

"Thank you for telling me all this, Subaru. I know it wasn't easy... Now I see what _I've_ been doing wrong." Yuuki stated breathlessly. "I haven't been fair to the others. I haven't thought how my actions were affecting you. I've been so self-serving... I'm ashamed of myself."

She reached out and took the half-forgotten knife from his lap.

"Something as dangerous as this shouldn't exist."

"You can't just throw it away." Subaru reasoned. No matter how many detrimental feelings the object held, it did hold sentimental value as a memento from his late mother.

"It can still be changed." She gingerly held up her silver rosary with her fingertips. "Nobody and nothing is a lost cause. If it can give you hope instead of despair, it can be changed."

And the burden was lifted. Just like that. All the pressure that had nearly made him crack, all the negativity he had endured for years, and all the regret that he had shouldered, and self-hate, and hesitation, and distrust, and uncertainty – all gone. Wiped clean by this fragile girl. The only thing left was a dull sense of peace. He was not a lost cause anymore. How did she manage to take all the responsibility with a few simple words?

"I'll give this back to you if you promise not to act stupidly." Forgiveness, apparently, would be his sole retribution.

He took the knife since he didn't feel afraid of it. What miracle or madness was this?

"Idiot. I don't believe in God." Subaru responded, getting up with a sigh that released all of his bottled emotions. He felt worn out yet elated.

"... But I will still believe," she replied quietly. "Because man is weak - I still believe."

Yuuki smiled through her tears and he was rendered awestruck.

If angels existed, it would be the girl sitting in front of him.

* * *

A/N: Okay, take a deep breath first _-_ since that was a lot to take in. Now exhale. You feeling good about life? Okay, then surely you won't mind me nagging you a bit, right? Probably. So... was that good enough? Maybe? Err, whatever. I'm ruining the atmosphere at this point.

Just for you all, I actually went ahead and read the "manga" - correct me if I'm wrong, but it seemed like a series of doujinshis. It was not as bad as I was expecting it to be. My point is that I shall attempt to adapt some of those elements into later chapters to help, y'know, immerse yourself into the story and feel like it still somewhat follows the canon.

Fun fact: Fire is a source of purification. Like when black smiths melt the ore in order to separate the good from the bad. This is Yuuki's reasoning when it comes to changing the knife into an object of faith... I hope that this did enough justice to Subaru. He had legit_ zero_ presence for a long time, so I really wanted to address him.


	13. Chapter 13: Embracing Realities

Yuuki had fallen asleep after Subaru left her room, and a small smile remained on her lips.

"Oi~ pancake. Wake up." A gentle poke to the cheek prodded her back to life.

"Looks like you had a good dream," Ayato noted as she rubbed her eyes.

"Ayato... Whatter you doing here?" the vampirette slurred.

Ayato shrugged. "Just came up to tell you that your furniture's here."

"Oh, that so... When did it arrive?"

"Err, like twenty minutes ago." He wasn't going to admit that he was staring at her sleeping face. This woman was too goddamn adorable for her own good. Acting all defenseless and shit. Besides, it was her fault that he wasted his precious time... even if she wasn't really trying.

"I better go now. Reiji's forcing me and Laito to carry the stupid thing all the way up."

"Haha, for like, punishment? Sounds like him." She plopped her hands down on her lap with a contented sigh and looked up him with – dare he think it – bedroom eyes.

Fuck logic.

He leaned in to give her a quick kiss before getting off of the mattress. Yuuki was definitely awake now.

"What was that for?" she asked as her cheeks blossomed rosily.

"Idiot, it's not that big a deal," Ayato responded. "I can kiss what's mine whenever I feel like it." He disappeared without another moment of hesitation.

_Screw their abilities. Making me feel all flustered on my own._ Yuuki thought, trying to will herself to be annoyed.

They somehow reached the casual-make-out stage of their relationship without her knowledge.

_What relationship?_ She asked herself, but the angry inner rant attempt failed miserably. She could not deny that, yes, they were a couple. It wasn't official yet. But it happened. Somehow. And for inexplicable reasons, Ayato was being very straight forward about "them" and whatever was between the two.

_I mean, he's asked me to marry him. I owe him the same honesty at the very least. _

In essence, she had pledged her entire life to him the moment she had decided to rely on his protection. Was that a mistake? Possibly.

_And what about Subaru?_ She shook the thought from her head and threw her hesitation away. Kanato was right – she did love Ayato. And if she honored her pride, then she would not entertain thoughts about other options. One of her best traits was loyalty after all. Sure, Ayato was the first choice (and first choices were not necessarily the best choices) but there was no need to rush. Subaru didn't spark these unexpected feelings like Ayato did.

_Therefore, the stuck up brat it is. Sorry Subaru, but you snooze – you lose. _Yuuki was proud that her heart and her brain came to a mutual conclusion. She was surprisingly rational about the whole affair._ There's no need to create unnecessary drama anyway. I'm not Cordelia._

_Besides, romance doesn't need to be complicated. _There was nothing stopping her from loving those around her. Just that there was different forms of the love - a different special place for everyone to belong. She stared at the door blankly, in awe of herself.

_Wow, Yuuki. What happened to you? You just slept on it and it seems like the entire world just flipped right side up again. Not that I'm complaining._

Yuuki grinned from ear to ear. Ayato would have called her a creep if he was still there.

_Looks like I'm mentally prepared... Took me long enough._

* * *

A/N: Sorry, I've gotten sick and tired of Yuuki locking herself up. And doing another "self-made drama" arc again would defeat the purpose of the first one. Honestly, I'm on Team Subaru and was chanting "drop him, drop him, drop him" to myself when writing this. But it would be weird if "Revised" was pro-Ayato while "E&E" was pro-Subaru, so I decided to be consistent. That means the youngest is going to be hopelessly friend-zoned, alright? (I've told you in advance so you can mentally prepare yourselves for an onslaught of AyatoxYuuki and can't complain about it later.) Also, I apologize for Ayato's potty mouth. He started it =3=


	14. Chapter 14: Behaving Abnormally

"Wa~ow, Reiji, this is really nice." Yuuki complimented as she ran her hand over the dark exterior of her new vanity.

"Ugh, that was major pain," Ayato groaned as he massaged cricks in his neck.

"Don't complain, Ayato. You've got supernatural strength – this shouldn't be a problem."

"You try picking it up, then! It weighs a ton."

"Actually, his point is valid," Reiji interjected. "I bought the heaviest piece available."

"What for~?" Laito asked, equally tired from hauling it up the stairs and maneuvering it into place.

"It would be shameful to have a piece of furniture that could break due to a tiny skirmish. I will only accept the highest quality and nothing less."

"Well,_ I'm_ happy with this. So... how much do I have to pay you back?" It was obviously an expensive piece, so she would not be surprised if she was indebted with some six figure digit. Reiji was sadistic enough to do something like that.

"You don't have to worry about that, pipsqueak." Ayato suddenly said defensively.

"Are you sure?" Yuuki asked hesitantly as she glanced at Laito and Reiji in turn. Neither seemed particularly concerned.

"It is as Ayato says... You can consider that as your own, free of charge."

_Whoa, Reiji's being generous? The world really MUST have flipped over._

She threw her arms around Reiji out of surprise and joy. "Really? It's mine? Oh, thank you! I love it!"

The second eldest tried to hide his flustered state. "Yes, well," he grumbled, "just don't destroy this one. That would be unpleasant."

Yuuki withdrew herself and hugged the vanity, humming as she did so.

"If that is all, we -"

"Oh, actually!"

The three stopped to look at Yuuki.

"Yes?" Reiji prodded, somewhat annoyed.

"I need to go shopping to replace some of the things that were in it."

"Then write a list of what you need, and I'll order it."

"No, I was wondering if I could... you know... actually go out shopping."

Silence. Ayato broke it with a "Say wha~?"

"Because, I need to look for the items personally and stuff!" Yuuki explained, feeling awfully self conscious. "Of course, I'm fine with having someone come with me as a chaperone. To, like, try to keep me from escaping and stuff."

"Koinu, did you catch a fever or something?"

_Do vampires even catch colds?_

"Is something wrong with your head?" Ayato asked, checking her forehead's temperature.

"I'm _fine,_" she insisted and swatted his hand away. "Oh-kay, I'm sorry for asking. I knew it was a stupid request in the first place."

Disappointed, Yuuki turned around and pouted to herself quietly, "And I was hoping I could go out on a date with Ayato."

"No..." Reiji said slowly. "We're just surprised that you wanted to go out."

"Oh, that's it?" Yuuki burped, turning around hopefully.

"Did I hear you right, pancake?" Ayato said, finally recovering from his shock.

Laito smooshed up next to her. "If you wanted to go on a date, you could have just asked me."

"Laito, you bastard." Ayato threatened, while cracking his knuckles. "You've got _some_ nerve."

"Hey hey, guys. Calm down. Not right in front of the new vanity." Yuuki cautioned. "I didn't mean to make such a fuss. And no thanks, Laito. I wouldn't get permission anyway."

"... You can go."

"Huh?"

Reiji raised his voice. "You have permission to go shopping. But only under the supervision of the family. And since Ayato will murder anyone who goes near Yuuki, and that would be a problem, he will be the one to accompany her. Understood?"

The three gaped at Reiji.

"Reiji, can I kiss you?" Yuuki asked breathlessly. Never, never, never had she expected Reiji to have such a soft corner for her. _Or maybe he's just created a kindness potion by accident, and some of it happened to fall into his morning tea. Also by accident._ She wasn't going to pretend that his unusual charity had anything to do with her.

"Hold it, pancake! What are you thinking?" Ayato asked, alarmed. She wasn't becoming unfaithful to him now, was she?

Reiji and Laito escaped before they could witness another quarrel.

"I didn't expect that. Least of all from you." Laito commented.

"It's better than handling a grouchy teenage girl. Seriously, those two are such a handful."

Reiji would forever excuse his actions as simply a way to take care of Yuuki's dejected attitude, since he was the one dealing with the "consequences of her unending selfishness". It really had nothing to do with the particular girl herself. Or, at least, that's what he told himself. Besides, his decisions would remain the same if it had been anyone else. Reiji refused to develop a weakness for anyone. An Achille's heel would mar his desire to achieve cold perfection. And that could not be allowed. Reiji would not allow it.

But it was too late to say "no"... Not when Yuuki was so ecstatic about the new plans.

Laito smiled to himself alone. Some people just couldn't be honest with themselves.

* * *

A/N: They're going on a date! Are you excited? Because I sure am =D (Sorry, I'm really sleepy so I'll proofread and upload the next chapter later...)

Also, a personal shout-out to Cutepuppy01 for being such a great sport and bringing to my attention that some of you might not know how to turn on your private messages. All you do is click on your username in the top-corner, and you should be on the Account "Settings" page. Then scroll down until you see "Account Options", then just press the "yes" button where it says "Accept Private Messages (PM)". Don't worry, we newbies have got to stick together and my only advice is to LURK MOAR ;P I'm open to guest reviews, by the way. Feel free to critique my work if you have the time.


	15. Chapter 15: Waver

They had somehow ended up on the bed. Yuuki glared up at Ayato's conceited little face, trapped underneath him.

_When did this happen?_ She asked herself.

"Get off."

"That's not the way you should be addressing me, is it?" Ayato said smugly, while leaning in closer. Yuuki panicked.

"Okay, okay! Get off, _please_."

"Idiot," he whispered next to her ear, "it's _Please, Ayato-sama._.. How many times do I have to say it, pancake? _You are at my mercy._"

Yuuki whimpered when he nibbled her ear, blushing at the memory of their first kiss.

_God dammit, Yuuki. Hold it together, girl!_

"Haha, acting all tough." Ayato teased, noticing her stiff upper lip. He was enjoying her suffer. She tried squirming out from his iron grip but he only tightened it.

"Ow!" Yuuki gasped. "Ayato, you're hurting me."

"This is nothing compared to what I can do."

"I'm aware of that, knucklehead. OW! Stop it."

Ayato ignored her and continued, "Besides, you can handle _this_ much."

No, she could not_ handle it_. Not when he was straddling her.

"I'm still weaker than you. And no, I'm not ashamed to admit it. Didn't anyone teach you to treat girls gently?"

"Mm, not my style," Ayato purred.

In the ensuing struggle, Yuuki found some clearance and managed to knee him straight in the fork of his legs.

"Weak, pancake." Ayato snarled after dealing with the initial jab of pain. He pinned her down again. "You're weak. And that was low."

"Look who's being low." Yuuki taunted, pleased that she could actively do so. She had risen to more equal footing over the course of her stay. Being a vampire had its perks.

"Oh, but you're enjoying this, aren't you? You little masochist."

"Shut up."

"Don't tell me what to do, pancake. You're still playing_ my _game."

She clamped her hand over his mouth to keep him from doing anything funny. "What if I'm the one making the rules?"

He licked her hand sensually, making her retreat the violated barrier in shock.

"You're so gross, Ayato!" Yuuki yelped, wiping her palm furiously on the front of his shirt.

Ayato smirked. This is what he loved about her. She was fearless - even at an obvious disadvantage.

"Shamelessly groping people again, are we? How about-" Ayato traced the area over her collarbone with the tip of his nose.

Yuuki shivered. Despite being as cold as Ayato, his touch still made her feel tingly.

_Seriously, me. Stop getting excited over nothing._

"-I bite right here?"

"… Sure, why not?"

"Eh?"

"You must be thirsty. Go ahead."

Ayato paused, then frowned slightly. Yuuki figured that he was just toying with her.

"Ugh, never mind," the male mumbled. "This is no fun if you're going to be boring about it."

"Um... I guess I'm interrupting something."

The two stared at Kanato, who had just walked in to see the youngest triplet on top of Yuuki, with Ayato's face still hovering a few inches from hers. The silence was embarrassing. Yuuki, however, found herself somewhat grateful for the interruption.

_You've perfected the art of cock-blocking. Proud of you, buddy._

"I should probably come back later," the intruder offered as he turned around.

"No, don't worry about it. Ayato was just leaving." Yuuki nudged him on the arm, "Right, Ayato?"

The red-head was really frowning this time.

"What she said." Ayato grumbled while shuffling off of her. Yuuki adjusted her skirt, which had hiked up dangerously, before lifting herself into a sitting position.

"Did you need anything?" She asked after Ayato left the room. He held up Teddy's still-severed head and body

"I give up." Kanato said. "This sewing thing's impossible. You do it."

"But I don't kno-"

"It was your idea for me to learn to do it myself."

"Alright, fine." Fashion design was out of the picture, then. "I'll give it a go."

Yuuki and Kanato settled down on their respective seats. She had quickly gotten the hang of the practice once Kanato explained the basics. He had mastered the theory, just not the real life application.

Apparently her quick study made him feel jealous.

"If you hurt Teddy, I'll kill you." Kanato pouted as he munched on a slice of cake. He had decided to eat something while watching her perform "surgery".

"That's a bad taste in humor. It's not a nice thing to say even if your joking." Yuuki chided. She always considered herself a clutz, but somehow her clumsy hands were steadily sewing the doll back together again. "Besides, I'll be very gentle - Teddy won't even feel a thing."

"That's a bad taste in humor, Yuu-chan." Teddy, of course, could literally not feel a thing.

Yuuki laughed, "Touché. That's a good one, Kanato. Well, I'll take care of this little fella. I know how much he means to you. Ow... Urgh, that's the fourth time." She had pricked her finger on the needle.

"But look!" Yuuki announced, quickly reviving her spirit, "Teddy's all fixed now. Isn't that much better?"

She caressed the toy lovingly, and Kanato marveled at the calming feeling that surrounded her. He dropped his fork and almost started to smile, before pressing his lips into a thin line.

"Good. Now give him back." His purple bangs covered his eyes.

"Here you go," Yuuki chirped cheerily. Kanato unexpectedly grabbed her wrist instead of the bear.

"Oh! What are you doing?" the girl exclaimed.

"You're blood. I've never tried it before."

Yuuki winced when he licked her stinging finger.

"Wow, it's sweeter than the cake."

"Kanato, let go please." She gently tugged her arm, but his fingers tightened around her thin wrist.

"No. This is payment."

"Payment for what?"

"For making me have to waste my energy." It was a very Shu-like excuse.

"What do you mean?!" Yuuki asked, startled at the chilling quality in his voice.

"I've spent so many of my precious hours with _you_. It was downright sickening. I'm glad Teddy's back, so I don't need you anymore."

"What are you saying?

"You're so annoying, and now you're being all friendly to my Teddy. Don't be so disgusting."

Yuuki gawked at him silently. _Was he making a fool out of me... all this time?_

He snorted at her expression. "Oh, you're so silly! Did you really think that I would be friends with _you_? Don't make me laugh."

Yuuki frowned, shutting her gaping mouth. She twisted her wrist around and squeezed his hand. Firmly at first. The slight pressure made him stop cackling.

"No, Kanato..." she started quietly. "You weren't faking it. That wasn't pretending. I know how proud you were to show me the things that you made. Those feelings were real."

Kanato shook his head slowly, as if he was trying to deny it. The crazed smile from his face faded.

"I'm only saying this because I care about you, Kanato - if Teddy's the one making you think negatively about all this time we've spent together, I don't think he's being a good friend."

"You filthy _human_." Kanato whispered, repeating the insult he used back when she first attempted to befriend him and Teddy. "You don't know anything about me... Don't pretend like you understand me..." His eyes, however, teared up.

"_I'm not human anymore_, Kanato." Yuuki replied softly, equally somber. It was a truth that neither of them were fully able to bear. The boy visibly crumbled before her eyes.

Kanato clutched the stuffed toy as sobs wracked his fragile-looking body. She kept squeezing his hand, as if giving him a rope to hold onto.

He had made a goal - he wanted Teddy to be fixed. Once he had reached it, he had no idea what to do anymore. Did he love Teddy? Did he hate Teddy? And how did his answers relate to what he felt about his mother? They were questions that he couldn't face alone. If he pretended that Yuuki's friendship didn't matter to him... maybe, just maybe, he could have returned to his old self. But things have changed. And changes were scary.

Yuuki pat him affectionately. "You don't have to come up with an answer right away. Take your time and it will make itself apparent to you. And I'll be right here if you ever need me."

"Yuu-chan..." Kanato whimpered.

"Shh... I know, Kanato, I know."

Her world was not the only one that had been flipped upside down. She cursed her own blood.

_Cordelia, how dare you mess with all these lives? _She snarled internally, before calming herself down. Cordelia was gone. Now it was up to her to fix everything. _It's okay... I'll be the one to put the broken pieces together. I owe it to everyone_.

* * *

A/N: Wanted to establish Yuuki's "purpose in life" in order to propel the story forward past AyatoxYuuki lovey-dovey arc. Be patient, my children. Good things are still ahead.

Also, I wrote this chapter a day or two ago and I thought I had already uploaded it. Woops. Sorry for the delay.


	16. Chapter 16: The Only One

"Hey, pancake! I want to show you something cool."

Yuuki shuffled cautiously away from him. Knowing Ayato, he wouldn't be willing to forgive the interruption of their little session so easily.

"What's with those impudent eyes?" Ayato asked, before grabbing her wrist. "Come on!"

_Eh, he's not angry?_ She thought as he dragged her to their destination.

"How's that?" the male exclaimed happily. "A genuine iron maiden complete with spikes inside – as per your interests!" He tried to push her into the torture device. "Now get in."

"GYAAA!"

Yuuki toppled back against him and fell to the side. She heaved in momentary relief.

"Don't worry. It'll just be a little prick"

"There's no way it'll be like that!" Yuuki cried. Ayato half-ignored the girl sitting on the floor.

_I was an idiot to think that this guy would be willing to let it slide._

"I've even prepared a bunch of things for you. Like swords, and bamboo skewers, and a crown of thorns, and a ton of other things. The bamboo skewer makes small cuts but they're super painful!"

"ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?!"

"Wha~t? I'll just lick the injuries afterward."

"You're just trying to drink my blood again, aren't you!?"

"Well, duh." He pulled her up until she was pressed against his chest. "But even if you say you hate it, you actually like the pain."

"I never said that." Yuuki stated unhappily as he licked her neck. She had been pushed up against the wall, once again trapped.

"You're blushing."

"This and that have nothing to do with this," the girl stuttered. She looked down in order to hide the shame of being unable to find the right words.

Ayato laughed and tilted her chin upwards. "I'm going to suck until that attitude burns out of your eyes. Knowing you - you'd probably die before that happens, though."

Yuuki paused before pulling her hair to one side.

"Again, are you trying to kill me?" she asked, quietly this time.

"Oh, what's this? You're being obedient." His arm wrapped around the small of her back. "Finally resigned yourself, huh?"

"If you want it so badly, fine. I don't care," Yuuki said with a small, pseudo-understanding smile.

"Oi. Did you eat something bad?" Ayato frowned. "You're saying stupid things again – I can't understand your thought process." He seriously wondered if she even thought at all. It wouldn't surprise him if the doctors discovered that she didn't have a functioning brain. He didn't cross out the possibility, since their hearts were on eternal pause anyway.

"What's wrong? You want to drink, don't you? Go ahead."

The male sighed before letting go of her shoulders.

"Nah, I'm good. Sorta lost the urge."

* * *

The next day, she employed the same pattern.

"Good morning," Yuuki greeted enthusiastically. "Are you feeling thirsty?"

"Don't need it." Ayato replied, uninterested.

_Success! Pretending to be obedient was such a great strategy._ She was thoroughly proud of herself. _Wish I had come up with this before, back when it was actually useful._

However, Yuuki's amusement faded over time.

_Is he doing okay? It's been a few days now – he must be hungry right? _She thought to herself, feeling somewhat concerned. _He hasn't been... sucking someone else off has he? UGH, what am I thinking?! It doesn't matter to me anyway... But, to say the least, it'll be troublesome if he collapsed or something._

"Are you okay?"

"Seriously - stop being so persistent. Damn, you're annoying. Keep it up and I'll kill you." Ayato growled. He knew that she hated the particular threat.

"But-"

"Do you want me to that badly?"

"Well, it's not like... it's wrong or anything."

The response made him grin wickedly.

"Heh, you finally admit it, you little masochist." Ayato smirked as he sauntered over to her spot and reached out.

Yuuki suddenly found themselves in her bedroom. She didn't have time to register that they had teleported before he threw her on top of the mattress.

_Eh? _

"Tch, to think you could try to hold me back for so many days..." Ayato teased before joining her.

_I-_

"I'm not going to let you sleep tonight."

_I've been had!_

"NOOOO!" Yuuki squealed as he ripped off one of her front buttons.

"Yeah, yeah. You love this, right?

"I DON'T." She covered her slightly exposed cleavage.

"Still saying that? Stop resisting – this is your purpose in life." Ayato purred in a low voice.

"It – ow – is not!" Yuuki protested as he pierced her neck.

He licked the blood staining the side of his mouth. "You've forgotten," he commented. "Looks like I need to remind you again."

Yuuki struggled underneath and forcefully pushed him up off of her body.

"Wait, wait! Not like this!"

"Hm?" he grunted as they got up.

"I don't want it like this! It has to be gentle."

Ayato paused before suddenly kissing her, somewhat roughly. She flinched when his fangs snipped her bottom lip.

"?!"

"Hmm, I always thought it was the sweetest here anyway..." the red-head remarked.

"Ayato, I-" She choked on her words. Her face was pure crimson.

"Mm? What was that, pancake?"

"I'm going to kill you."

"Hahaha - don't be such an airhead." Ayato laughed. He bent his knees so she could sit comfortably between his legs.

"Shut up." Yuuki shifted her weight forward, so that she was the one on top.

"And what are you so worried about anyway?" Ayato continued, unconcerned. "You're a vampire now, so - mmfgh?!"

Yuuki broke the contact. "Didn't I tell you to shut up?" she asked breathlessly before kissing him again, this time with her eyes closed.

Ayato smiled against her lips.

This was the only one. The only person in the world who he'd be willing to obey. He wanted to fulfill her every command and desire. He was at her beck and call.

Thank God – if there really was one – that she didn't know... Ayato liked to pretend that he was the one in control.

* * *

A/N: Never have I ever thought that I would write about an unmarried couple making out... True story. Please don't do this kids =3 But kids shouldn't be reading M stories in the first place, soo~

ANYWAY, as you can see - a lot of content borrowed from the DL Anthrology series. I stuck some of Subaru's stuff and adapted it to Ayato instead. Those two are so easy to interchange, which I think I've said before. The anticipated "first date chapter" will be next. Sorry for these long delays - I've suddenly landed over five huge projects and have got a lot on my plate right now.

I like how Ayato is willing to put aside his ego for her, although he would never admit it. It's sweet. Yuuki has the ultra-feminine power to soften those around her.


	17. Chapter 17: Cherish

Ayato leaned on the front door, waiting for Yuuki. They were supposed to be out shopping already – but she was still in her room. And for some reason, that silly, purple-haired freak was with her too. Was Ayato jealous? Hell yeah.

"Sorry for the wait!" Yuuki called happily and Ayato turned to face her with a scowl.

"What took you so long, panca-"

Yuuki giggled and twirled around for him. "Do you like it?"

Ayato checked her out – twice.

"What are you all dressed up for?" It seemed to be his go-to response whenever she was wearing something remotely cuter than usual.

She self-consciously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"For you, of course. Kanato-kun helped me. Besides, why are _you_ in your uniform?"

"Don't see a problem. Come on, let's go."

Yuuki pouted. _Am I the only one who thinks of this as a date?_ The thought annoyed her, so she attached herself to his arm. Ayato didn't seem to dislike it, so they remained that way until they had reached the shopping district.

"What do you have to replace?"

"A lot," she lied. The things that had been destroyed along with the vanity were her few makeup palettes (which she never really used until Kanato started playing with her), while her hairbrush and accessories had survived. But she wanted to extend the day of freedom for as long as possible.

"Is that a problem?" Yuuki asked. It was a challenge.

"I can survive a few stores," Ayato said.

_Oh, my dearest Ayato. I don't mean a few stores. I meant all of them._

And she meant to enjoy them fully.

So they browsed shop after shop together, and Yuuki would pick up the various things that she liked. When she went the cashier, Ayato stopped her. At first Yuuki protested, saying that her father left her _some_ money to use, but Ayato simply stated that it was his fault that her things needed to be replaced. Stunned by his unheralded chivalry, Yuuki was unable to continue arguing and he ended up paying anyway.

As the adopted daughter of the priest, it was a rare opportunity to enjoy herself to the max with secular city pastimes. She somehow convinced Ayato to join her in an arcade game, then take pictures at a photo booth, and eat things they had never tried before. The experience was a first time for both of them. It was fun.

Everything that had to do with Yuuki amused him. Ayato had never felt this way about another person before. He enjoyed teasing her, holding her close, learning about the things she liked and disliked. But eventually, he got sick of entering girly, perfumed stores and the stupid crowds, so they decided that they wanted a change of scene before heading home.

Ayato waited on a park bench as Yuuki went to go buy soft cream. He was reluctant to let go of her, but she insisted to let her treat him for once and promised not to run away.

"What good would that do anyway?" Yuuki had reasoned. Ayato remained silent since he didn't want to admit that he just wanted her by his side.

He glanced at her shopping bags, which were inoffensively sitting beside him. She hadn't bought as much as he had expected. Maybe it was because she was embarrassed that he was paying, but she insisted that she had properly replaced everything from her vanity. Ayato didn't tell her that the reason that he had accepted Reiji's punishment and had obediently lugged the damned thing all the way up was because he didn't want her to face the consequences. He had protected her from being landed with any of Reiji's anger, and even argued with the tableware otaku for her sake. Ayato would take full responsibility so that his Yuuki would be left alone. He leaned back to stare at the clouds until he heard her skipping back to him, a cone in either hand.

"Would you like the vanilla, or the chocolate? Or would you like me?" She teased. He was being uncharacteristically good today, so she had dropped her guard.

"Who would want a tit-less girl like you? Chocolate."

Yuuki pouted. "Maybe Mr. Chocolate here should teach you the true meaning of brain freeze," she threatened.

"Hey, hey! Watch the hair."

Yuuki handed him the cone and plopped down next to him. He grew fascinated with watching her eat.

"It's going to melt," she pointed out, finally noticing him staring.

"Just felt like trying the vanilla," he mumbled as he licked his own cone hurriedly, embarrassed that he got caught.

"Sure. If you share some of yours."

"Really?"

"Go ahead." Yuuki nodded. Ayato unexpectedly kissed the side of her mouth.

"Eh?"

"There was some cream stuck on your face," he stated blandly before taking a large bite of her cone.

"You could have just told me." Yuuki wiped her mouth with the back of her wrist. She frowned at her almost-finished cone. He was merciless.

The two finished eating in relative silence until a group of three little boys passed by.

"Oooh, look! A couple!" they laughed. One of them blew a raspberry.

Ayato tossed a crumpled napkin at the group and they ran away in a fit of giggles. Yuuki was blushing.

"You didn't have to chase them away, you know. They're just having fun." The boys had reminded her of the triplets when they were little.

"They were annoying." Ayato placed an arm around her, his elbow resting on the park bench.

"I thought they were cute."

He smirked. "Hmm. You like kids?"

Normally, he'd be jealous if she paid attention to anything but him. _He must be in a good mood, I guess._

"Yeah," Yuuki replied. "There used to be a group of orphans at the church. I used to play with them a lot." She smiled at the memory. "You don't?"

"I'd like your kids."

"Huh?"

"Because they'd be mine."

Yuuki flushed. "Idiot. As if I'd let _you_ father my children."

Ayato stiffened slightly. "What, you don't want any?"

"Of course I want them _eventually_. But I don't know if you could be a good parent."

The reply angered him. "Is that so, pancake?" he sneered.

Yuuki looked up at him, somewhat alarmed. She hadn't thought that he'd take her teasing seriously. She kissed the side of his chin in order to soothe him.

"I was just kidding..." Yuuki whispered. "Don't be mad."

Ayato snorted and they returned to being silent. It felt uncomfortable.

"But honestly," she ventured cautiously, trying to avoid setting him off again. "Would you be nice to them... or would you neglect them like Karlheinz?"

"I'm not my father, Yuuki. I take care of what's mine."

"Then I'll believe you," she smiled. "It might be a stupid decision, but I'll give you that much trust, at least."

Ayato relaxed and pinched her cheek fondly. His affection hurt, but Yuuki was not irritated.

"Being an airhead is what you do best, anyway."

Her lips were still cold from the ice cream.

* * *

A/N: Hope I made your inner fan-girl squeal inside. Apparently these innocent fluff chapters are somewhat readable *awkward cough* At least that's what a few people around here have told me. (Their probably faking it, though – I can see how bad my work is, but I thank them for making the effort to be nice, lol)

And apparently, Yuuki's having his children. Eventually. After marriage. Yeah...


	18. Chapter 18: Puppy Love

Plop.

"Did you feel that?" Yuuki asked, breaking away first.

"Feel what?" Ayato responded, slightly breathless.

Plip-plop.

"That." Yuuki blinked twice when they noticed a cold wetness glistening on her hand. "Oh gosh, it's raining."

Yuuki and Ayato grabbed their things off the bench and scrambled for shelter before the light drizzle could soak them.

The closest place they could find was one of the pavilions. Everyone else had already gone home – they were the only ones who hadn't taken heed of the clouds darkening above. Neither would admit that it was because they were preoccupied with each other. So they awkwardly avoided talking as they waited underneath the shaded area.

"I hate the rain..." Yuuki complained, wiping off some of the water that had landed on her hair and shoulders with a handkerchief before moving on to help him.

_There goes my hair. Sorry, Kanato. I know you worked hard on it._

"This is why we should have taken the car." Ayato teased.

"You know that's a terrible idea! Imagine how much unwanted attention we'd get driving around in a limo."

"Heh, I don't mind." He might have been referring to the fact that she was, as he would put, molesting him with a handkerchief.

"Of course_ you_ don't mind. Since your a show-off."

"Since when?"

"Since we met," Yuuki responded matter-of-factly. "Actually, way before that."

"Hmm..." He smirked. "And how would you know that?"

Her hand stopped moving abruptly on top of his shoulder. She couldn't tell him about her visions of the past. It would bring up Cordelia, which was a subject they both wanted to avoid if possible.

He noted her pause but decided to make light of it. "...Missed a spot. Also, your hair-"

"I know that!" Yuuki roared, drying him off frantically. "There!"

Ayato chuckled when the wet cloth fell on top of his face. "Is that why you hate rain?"

"Shut up, Ayato. Don't look!" Her face turned red as she tried blocking her frizzy hair from his sight.

"Your hands are too small – lemme do it."

"What do you mean?" Yuuki pouted.

Ayato drew her close by her elbow and pushed her smaller hands aside. He gathered the strands together, twisted them into a bun, and covered the top of her head with both his hands spread out widely.

"What good does it do if you're the one covering it, huh? Stupid Ayato."

"Who's the stupid one here? You're the one asking dumb questions." The second sentence was whispered.

"It's not a dumb question..." she mumbled, realizing that their proximity was infinitely closer.

_This was his goal all along, dammit._

"I can hear you~" Ayato sing-songed.

"Huh?"

"You're thinking that I'm a pervert, aren't you?"

_THESE STUPID MIND-READING ABILITIES, I SWEAR! _Yuuki thought, completely taken aback.

"How the hell do you know that?!"

He shrugged. "It's written on your face."

"Oh..." The sound of rain filled their silence. "Hey, there are stores all around us. Why don't we just go buy an umbrella?"

"I can wait it out."

_My, my - Ayato's being patient? That's a miracle._

Yuuki pried her head away from underneath his palms. "I'll go buy it anyway. Wait for me, okay?" He didn't have time to protest before she dashed off.

* * *

When she returned, Ayato was nowhere to be found.

"Ayato~! Ayato, where are you?" Yuuki called out.

_Did he leave the park without me?_ She thought, turning around to search for him. _Or maybe he teleported and abandoned me here. And I told him not to use his powers in public, but no~..._

"Oh, there you are!" Yuuki exclaimed, noticing him crouching over a soggy, cardboard box. "What were you doing here."

"Look what I found, pancake." Ayato said, reaching into the box and taking something out of it before turning towards her. The "something" squirmed in his hands and barked rapidly.

"Meet your long lost brother, Pochi."

"Aww! A puppy!" She handed him the umbrella to take the dog, who was gnawing on his sleeve. The animal seemed to be more willing to transfer over to her arms – anything to get out of Ayato's grip.

"You're both soaked," she noted, petting the pup soothingly. It calmed down and stopped barking. "Look, it's shivering, poor thing. Can we keep it?"

He picked up her shopping bags, which were neglectfully left on the sidewalk. At least they were underneath a shaded area. He had taken that ounce of extra care to make sure her merchandise was not completely ruined, so she decided to not cause a fuss.

"I dunno. You should ask Reiji."

"Okay! Let's go home at once," she demanded before remembering that Ayato easily became jealous of anything that captured her heart. She should know - he glared at whatever she swooned over when they were shopping, although he seemed to forgive the guilty objects because she was having fun with _him_. "Or else all three of us will catch a cold," Yuuki added hastily.

"Baka~" Ayato pinched her cheek. "Have you ever heard of a vampire catching a cold?"

Yuuki preferred snuggling the puppy close than responding. She was in a good mood again.

_Maybe the rain's not all that bad. _How often would she get the chance to walk with Ayato underneath an umbrella anyway? Yup, she'd prefer silently savoring the experience.

"What breed do you think it is?" Yuuki asked a few minutes later, when they had reached the gates of the mansion.

"Figure it out yourself."

"Haha, alright."

"Probably an unwanted mutt, though," Ayato jested. Yuuki obviously wanted to keep it as a pet.

* * *

A series of woofs awoke Shu. "Edgar?" he mumbled, standing up and following the sound.

He heard Yuuki's voice pleading, "Please, Reiji, please?"

"No. Something like this will not be allowed to freely wreak havoc upon the household."

"I promise to take care of it. We'll train it properly. Right, Ayato?"

"Hey, don't drag me into this – I just found the thing."

"It's not a_ thing_. It's-"

The conversation was interrupted by Shu. "What's going on?"

Reiji sighed and massaged his temples. "How many headaches do I have to deal with at once?"

_Time for phase two of persuading the grown ups, I guess. Change the target!_

"I want to keep him!" Yuuki nearly cried. She held up the confused pup. "Shu - you're the head of the family. Tell Reiji that I can keep him!"

"Puppy eyes, again..." Ayato grumbled quietly, rolling his own.

Apparently they were actually potent, because the next few words that rolled off of Shu's tongue shocked all the vampires in congregation. Yuuki's surprise was to a far lesser extent since she shared the memory between Reiji, Shu, and Beatrix. Which is why she had appealed to Shu in particular in the first place.

"Let her keep it, Reiji."

"Huh?!" Ayato yelped. When had Shu stood up for or cared about anything?

Shu just stared blankly at three before turning around and yawning. He walked off without another word, presumably to return to his nap.

"Trying to increase my workload, as always... What a hassle." Reiji adjusted his glasses. "The things I do sometimes for sanity's sake..." he added, before also exiting the room.

Yuuki and Ayato glanced at each other in momentary puzzlement.

"Soo... I can keep him?"

"... I guess so."

"Yippee!" Yuuki squealed and kissed Ayato on the cheek out of joy. "Alright, let's go get dried up. You're dripping all over the carpet."

"So are you, pancake."

She giggled. This was officially the best day ever. Minus her ruined hair.

* * *

A/N: Woops, haha. I forgot to upload Pochi's debut chapter. This is the true Chapter 18. "Irritation" was supposed to be Chapter 19.


	19. Chapter 19: Irritation

Yuuki had to itch. But Kanato told her to not move. Her dilemma was simple: should she do it and risk a frustrated vampire biting her head off, or should she remain patient and keep her as-still-as-a-statue pose? And, gosh, was it hard to resist the urge to screw it all to hell and scratch that little irritation of a spot.

"Kanato," Yuuki squeaked. "How long will it take?"

"Don't talk right now. I'm painting the face."

Sure enough, he scrutinized her visage with calculating eyes, sighed, and mixed in some old-ish looking paste to achieve the "perfect color", or whatever he was mumbling about. She was tired of sitting. She was tired of the smell of paint. She was tired of the aching desire to peek over Kanato's shoulder and see what he was doing. And she was tired of the stupid itch.

Kanato looked up at her, seemingly amused. "You hate this, don't you?"

"Well, yeah, I wasn't exactly born to be a mannequin. And no – we are not going to discuss that room of brides, please. I could do without that memory if possible."

"Yuu-chan's expressions are so funny. That look of absolute horror and disgust you make sometimes-" Kanato paused to cackle, "_That _is one I won't forget."

Yuuki's frown deepened before she was once again scolded by Kanato. Did she want her 2D resemblance to look absolutely miserable, or would she smile properly for once? She decided that "properly" seemed far too Reiji-like to be coming out of the mouth of a former maniac. Regardless of her answer, Yuuki decided that she hated not having control over her own body (since he held the authority over her as her portrait artist).

"Oi, pancake," Ayato called out as he walked into her room. He had reverted to his old habit of entering without knocking. At least he had stopped appearing out of nowhere, since she'd nearly rip out his beautiful hair every time he did. She was possibly getting a tad too familiar.

___Save me, Ayato! _Her eyes silently responded. Ayato growled at Kanato, who peeked over his canvas to glare back.

Yuuki could almost see the signals they were sending back and forth for a second. How dare Ayato interrupt while he was in the middle of something? How dare Kanato still be playing with his things? "His things" as in herself. It was like a tug of war on the side of a cliff.

"Did you need anything, Ayato?" Yuuki asked, trying to escape the current situation.

"Get ready."

"For what?"

"Reiji said you have to go to school."

"... Alright. Kanato, I think that's enough for today."

Kanato sighed, grumbled something like he was almost done, and started packing his things.

"Oh, wait! Can I see what you painted so far?"

"No!" was the immediate response. "No, not yet, Yuu-chan," he repeated once more in a softer tone. "Not until it's done."

"Okay. Sorry for being such a terrible model."

Yuuki waited until Kanato was out of sight before whipping out of her position and trying to___get that damned itch_. She twisted her hands behind her back and, to her utter dismay, found that she could not reach it.

"Ayato," she cried. "Help me, please. It's killing me."

The remaining vampire blinked twice in puzzlement before smirking. He walked up behind her and poked the area she was trying to scratch.

"Here?"

"Yes," Yuuki gasped.

Ayato gauged her reaction. His smile widened. "Maybe I should leave it alone."

"What? Because you want to see - Cause of Death: Fatal Itch - on my tombstone?"

"Yes."

___Downright evil. _She thought, growing frustrated although she was still terribly desperate.

"Ayato~"

Puppy eyes. These damned puppy eyes. He hesitated, and Yuuki cooed in relief when he finally started rubbing with his nails, albeit slower and softer than she expected. She would have scratched the cloth off her back. Eventually, the itch disappeared but she didn't stop him. It felt nice - even if she didn't want to admit it.

Ayato was glad that she was facing away from him. He grew embarrassed at his own actions towards Yuuki. Although he could easily blame the prolonged contact on the fact that she didn't indicate that it's-alright-now, he felt guilty. It seemed like it wasn't enough without physical contact. The thought unnerved him, so he stopped and pat her on her shoulder bone.

"Hmm?" She opened her eyes to look back at him behind a curtain of blonde lashes.

"Get ready." He said before disappearing.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for another short chapter. Thought I would get this up hours ago but my computer crashed. And I have a deadline in a few hours. And I have a plane trip in a few more hours. And I need sleep. Grr.

So basically, this chapter symbolizes my frustration... Just kidding. I just need to transition back to Yuuki's re-attendance to school as well as include some foreshadowing. I like how all my chapter titles sounded like they came straight out of some sappy album or something until this one, lol. This was quite literal (although "Not Her Cup of Tea" from "Revised" was quite a funny pun, if I must say so for myself) as a reference to the itch that's simply a _plague_ to Yuuki's mentality (until Ayato solves the problem of course). I must say that I've switched over to Team Ayato again. Hoorah! I guess.


	20. Chapter 20: Newcomer

There were whispers all around school.

Rumors...

Nasty ones.

That Yuuki and Ayato were lovers. As in _lovers._

She spotted a group of girls glaring silently at her in the library and harr-upmhed.

_This is all Ayato's fault._ Yuuki thought to herself, annoyed. Ayato had been spending every possible moment with her, even going so far as to remove the classmate sitting next to her in order to take the poor sod's place. None of the teachers spoke out, since the Sakamaki family was not one to mess with.

The rumors that his various actions sparked, however, were completely unheard of. They called her disgusting things that she dared not repeat. Wasn't she ashamed, as the daughter of a religious man?

_Well, it's not like I could deny all of it..._ She sighed internally as she picked her books up and left one of the sole places where she found peace and quiet. _Maybe I should stake out Shu in the music room. He won't mind if I join him for an afternoon nap, right?_

Yuuki hadn't expected school to become a hostile place to be. Not since she had come to see the nicer side of the brothers she was staying with.

Her classmates had initially seen her with curiosity. _Who was this low-class, human girl suddenly attending school with the Sakamaki family? Oh, she must be their new toy. _They must have thought. Yuuki seemed like a friendly girl, therefore a harmless girl. She was of nobody's concern.

Then she disappeared for God knows how long. No one dared question it, since one does not meddle in the affairs of another unless they have due business with each other. If an entire influential, supernatural family clashed with another, who knows how much disaster would fall upon the world? This was a tricky game of politics everyone played here in this institution that brought them together. One of false courtesy, polished smiles, and raw instinct. Those who could afford to be offensive were the ones who held power. Or were just plain stupid, asking to be hurt.

Without any warning, Yuuki had returned to the public eye. Her classmates sensed something different in her. They could see that she was within the Sakamaki brothers' favor. At first they were awed. Then the awe transformed into jealousy.

_How dare this low-life associate with us? What right does she have to mingle freely with those that we spend every moment trying to gain approval from?_

… So that was what had happened. Looks like she would have to deal with another hell, albeit in a different environment. These were uncharted waters that she was exploring. The problem turned out to be her own inexperience and lack of social grace. In a sense, this dark shadow – this secret world of the supernaturals - was quite similar to humankind. Both could be as equally nasty. The one advantage, or possibly a disadvantage, was that this side didn't fear for their mortality... It was far too heavy a thought.

Out in one of the grand and overly fancy hallways, Yuuki felt her vision waver. A pair of arms steadied her as she nearly stumbled.

"Whoa... Oops." She looked up to see the owner of the arms. "Oh, Reiji. Thank you. Nearly fell, ha-ha."

"How unsightly. You should be aware of your own position," he responded with a grim face.

"Sorry – just felt a little woozy... Maybe it's the stress?" She was sick of the dirty looks in any case. "Would it be okay if I stay home and never come out?"

Yuuki was only joking. She knew she couldn't expect such an easy escape.

"Hmm. This again? That's not something you would of said when you first arrived at our house."

"Haha, that's for sure. Things have changed."

"Yes, they have." He looked down at her through his glasses darkly. "You cannot afford to make mistakes anymore."

"Meaning?"

"... You have a certain status that you must rise up to." Reiji responded after a long pause. "Don't you dare fail and bring shame upon our name... I will not accept it."

He disappeared promptly, leaving her in a state of bewilderment.

* * *

A/N: The anime portrayed Yui's experiences as pretty self-contained within her interactions with the Sakamaki family. I wanted to step out of that and show how your situation at home may very easily affect your standing in society through absolutely nonsensical, metaphysical ramblings. Reputation is a big deal in any case. Hope you enjoy this transition chapter. I'll give you a heads up though: things will get nasty _very quickly_.


	21. Chapter 21: Bad Omen

A/N: _Concerning the introduction of OCs._

If you don't know who "Pochi" is: STOP, go back to Chapter 17 and start reading again from there. You have probably missed the new Chapter 18, although it's totally my fault. See, Ayato and Yuuki's date had two parts ("Cherish" and "Puppy Love") but I had accidentally uploaded "Irritation" without putting up "Puppy Love". I only realized this mistake a few days later, and everything's all fixed now. Sorry for the confusion. But yes – there have been OCs before. It's not that big of a surprise. Those who have read "Revised" are aware of Yuuki being an OC herself, although she shares the same appearance as her canon counterpart, Yui. Now, on to the story...

* * *

Yuuki continued pondering over Reiji's words of caution, tuning out the looks she received from various students that she encountered. Besides, what "status" did she, an orphan, have in the first place? She was the prospective bride, sure, but what else was there? Nope. There was nothing. Nothing she could say for herself and bring forward. No wonder it was so easy to bully her_…_

_And why would MY clumsiness make Reiji embarassed? Wait... he said "our name," didn't he? Why was he including me? Oh, I'm so dumb – of course he just means the boys. That's all. It's not like he meant that -_

Yuuki stopped in her tracks.

_He couldn't have possibly…__ Was Reiji saying that I'm under trial and need to prove myself... in order to be with Ayato? Uh, nu-uh. There's no way that Reiji would accept me as a family member. Haha, yea. I'm not up to his level or something. _She shook the disconcerting thought off her head and shrugged. Yuuki continued walking and inhaled deeply to calm her wild thoughts._ Oh well, whatever. Who needs Reiji's approval anyway?_

She took a detour to the washroom on the way, firmly deciding not to look for Ayato since it would only fuel the flames.

_Ugh._ Yuuki looked up at the mirror and examined herself carefully. Her reflection seemed somewhat haggard._ I guess I need some fresh blood. I've been avoiding it for too long._

A collective laughter and a series of high-heeled clicks interrupted her thoughts, as a group of girls entered the restroom.

"I know~" one was saying in a shrill, plastic voice. "She's so-"

They stopped in their tracks once they noticed her standing in front of one of the sinks.

"Eww, it's just you," the girl continued, giving her a once-over before flicking her bright red hair over her shoulder. Yuuki immediately disliked her, her stupid blonde-tipped locks, the fact that she had an amazing body, and the way she chewed her gum obnoxiously.

"Excuse me," Yuuki mumbled, before attempting to exit the room. The other three blocked her path.

"Whoa, whoa, shorty..." _Obnoxious chewing._ "Where the hell are you going?"

_Looks like this one's the gang leader._

Yuuki summed them up. There were two henchmen – pretty, but nothing special. The other two, however, immediately stood out to her. One was the what-fashionistas-would-call-edgy chick, the other was everything she expected a vampire to look like – gothic, gorgeous, and sinister.

The four girls surrounded Yuuki and pinned her against the wall. This was not going to end well.

"What did'ja say? I couldn't hear you," she breathed into Yuuki's face, who turned away and gagged.

"Oh gross. No wonder you need that gum – your breath stinks." She'd figured that there was no need to be polite to someone who's obviously trying to pick a fight.

_Stupid, Yuuki, stupid._ Her logical side scolded. Dissing the chick was a sure-fire way to NOT avoid confrontation._  
_

Red-headed-jumbo-tits smirked. "This one's got nerve, don't you think?" RHJT asked her girls. "I sort of like it – makes it more fun." She reached out and stroked the side of Yuuki's face. Her fingers were sickeningly cold. "Haha, look! She's chilled to the bone. You frightened? Are you about to pee your pants? Come on, tell me..." RHJT's fingers wrapped around her neck. "Don't worry. I won't bite," she cooed.

* * *

"Ayato-sama?"

"What?" He grumbled in response. Yuuki had run away from him (with the excuse of needing some alone time to study) and he would always be in a bad mood whenever she was out of his sight.

"Reiji-sama said that Komori-san's not feeling well. He wants you to check up on her."

Ayato stood up with a groan and pocketed his hands casually.

"Ugh, pancake. Making me do so much work," he mumbled aloud in order to conceal his concern. There was no need to ask where to find her – he was a predator, Yuuki was his target.

* * *

A/N: I'm going to make it so y'all hate these new characters as much as I do. These last few chapters were the calm before the storm.

Girls can be downright brutal if you make them your enemy. I apologize if I destroyed your hopes of seeing the Mukami family or something. I don't know what they're like because I didn't play the games so I probably won't do them any justice. Therefore, I don't know if they'll ever appear in this story. Probably not.


	22. Chapter 22: Malice

There had been some punches thrown, some clothes torn, and some curse words sworn.

"You're all weak. I can take you. One-on-one." Yuuki spat. They laughed at her bluff.

"Oh really? Lemme tell you something – we don't normally fight like this." RHJT started.

"Everyone knows our true specialty..." The girl on the left interjected.

"Mm. Females are masters of verbal abuse," Yuuki's main attacker continued. She paused to cackle. "But you're not worthy of such a sophisticated art."

It was Yuuki's turn to snort. "Sophisticated art, my ass. You still fight like little girls: pull the hair, poke the eyes."

"Good one! See, you're learning. But you've forgotten one of our finest tactics. Little girls also _bite_."

The gang reminded Yuuki of why she hated vampires in the first place. She tried to squirm out of the grip of the four girls, but they effectively kept her caged. Her weakened, anemic state was _not_ helping.

"Ooh, stay still, shorty." The leader dabbed at a scratch underneath her own eye with the back of an overdone, painted claw. The superficial gash was a product of Yuuki's resistance – an epic attack of tooth and nail. She looked at the mirror and frowned before turning back to Yuuki, who was far more beat up.

Yuuki's bloodied lower-lip snarled to match the frown, except it possessed a far greater intensity of anger. The contrast of her expression and her pitiful condition turned out to be the kind of entertainment that RHJT craved.

"Did you know that the more an insect caught in a web struggles, the more entangled they become?" She cupped Yuuki's chin. The smaller vampirette attempted to glare back, but her pupils were bleary and unfocused. "Speaking of which... Arachnae." RHJT gestured at the companion with the straight, long black hair and smokey eyes. "Amuse me."

Arachnae, who had mostly watched rather than participate in the torture, moved forward and started to push the edge of Yuuki's skirt upwards.

"LET GO OF ME!" Yuuki screamed, her fists held back by the other two girls. Everything was blurry - she felt so dizzy.

What else were they going to do? Rape – no – molest her? She was another_ girl_, for god's sake.

"YOU'RE ALL SO DISGUSTING!" Yuuki screeched with the draining reserves of her energy, in hopes that someone would come to the rescue. Unfortunately, this school was the one kind that nobody gave a damn about each other, unless it meant personal benefit.

"Oi, cockroach – be quiet." The one on the right warned with a hiss.

"What do you want from me?!" Yuuki continued protesting meekly as the henchmen tried muffling her. She was nearly in tears.

"How did something like you get in the good graces of the princes anyhow?" The girl on the left complained, yanking Yuuki's head back by a fistful of her hair. The action exposed the petite victim's neck.

"What-" Yuuki gasped in pain, "princes?"

_Seriously, guys. Now is not the time for jealous cat fights..._ Her subconscious reminded her of something about a nap with Shu. It was like her mind was lulling her to sleep – an escape from this reality. But Yuuki hated giving in.

They ignored her question.

"She's a little too pretty to be a_ cockroach_." RHJT laughed with that distinctive plastic quality in her voice. "It pisses me off."

"Yes," Arachnae agreed, baring her fangs. "She's just a disgusting _human_."

Bite. _Why'd you have to bite?_ Seeing black spots.

Arachnae pulled back in shock. "No... _vampire_?" she spluttered, her lips dyed red with the one thing that Yuuki could not afford to be losing more of at the moment.

_Vampire. Ayato._

"What?" RHJT exclaimed. She pushed Arachnae aside to sniff the nearly unconcious Yuuki.

_Ayato... I swear, I don't let just anyone drink my blood. Not on purpose. _A sob was stuck in her throat. _So please... Help._

"HEY! What the hell are you fuckers doing?!" His voice was her divine intervention.

The attackers turned to look at the entrance.

"Ayato-sama!"

He spotted Yuuki's body half standing, half leaning against the wall. "Get your hands off her..."

The girls hesitated.

"I'll murder all of you..." He sneered, stalking towards them. He inspired goosebumps and the singular emotion of fear. Yuuki grew almost as alarmed as the gang surrounding her. There were more things here to be broken than just her vanity.

"Wait, Ayato." She groaned, outstretching her left hand out towards him. He stopped. "Just get me out of here... Didn't I tell you to treat girls gently?"

Ayato's lips twitched with an almost imperceptible smirk, before he snarled once more and glared at each girl in turn. They looked horrified. All except the gothic one, who's face was schooled into a calm mask. Arachnae made a small gesture, touching three fingers to her own neck. The metal cuff on her thin wrist caught his eye.

He broke the petrifying hush with words coated in the voice of the Devil himself.

"... I'll be lenient this time. Now scram."

Ayato continued exerting a murderous aura until they were all out of sight.

Yuuki slid unto the floor in relief, thinking that her words had reasoned with him. She had missed the non-verbal exchange.

"Are you okay?" He asked as he approached Yuuki cautiously.

"Idiot. Do I look okay?" She was bleeding profusely. "... I'm sorry. They bit me."

"Let me see." Yuuki extended her neck, and Ayato crouched next to her. "Shit."

"What's wrong?"

"They poisoned you."

"Huh?"

"Vampire poison..."

"Eh? Has this happened before?"

"We've never done it to you, since it's nearly fatal to humans. Good thing you're not one anymore, or else you would have been dead by now."

"They tried to _kill _me?" The revelation was not incredibly surprising, although she hadn't really done anything to deserve _that_ much hate. Some comebacks, sure - but that was all. Nothing to murder someone over.

"I'm going to suck it out."

"No, don't. I've lost too much blood already."

"You can suck some of mine afterward, pancake. It'll spread if we wait too long."

_This must be serious. _Ayato never drank her blood after someone else had. He always made a point not to.

"Alright – go ahead."

* * *

A/N: *Fist pump* Yes! I finally got a chance to use Laito's spiderweb quote =3

On a more serious note, I left their exact torture methods to your imagination on purpose. Just know that it was enough to sap all of Yuuki's endurance by the end of it. Of course, Vampire Yuuki would have been strong enough to take down one or two of them, but that's kind of why her anemia hit in the worst possible time. Because I'm a sadistic writer like that. Cheers!


	23. Chapter 23: Simple and Clean

"Where's the nurse?" Yuuki asked wearily, leaning on Ayato for support.

"_Doctor_." He corrected. "Who cares? Let's patch you up."

Ayato settled her down on one of the infirmary beds and went to fetch some of the emergency blood kept in a fridge. There was plenty of it for student use, since there were all sorts of supernatural beings who might need it at a moment's notice. Yuuki held herself up in a sitting position with both of her arms locked behind her as she waited.

Ayato returned with a bottle of red liquid. Yuuki's eyes flashed dangerously.

"Where did you get that?" the vampirette demanded. Driven to the edge, her instincts yearned for the blood, but internally, she was disgusted by it.

"Don't worry about the little details, pancake," he responded while handing it to her. "Drink it. Your wounds will heal faster."

Yuuki uncapped the bottle and took a long swig of it. The liquid buzzed down her throat like alcohol. "Ugh."

"Don't complain." Ayato commanded lightly and kneeled on the floor. He dipped a washcloth in a bowl of hot water and massaged it against her legs, where some of the cuts were throbbing. After chugging the rest of her "medicine" down, Yuuki rested her hands on his shoulders and watched. Her head felt like it was clearing up.

"This only happened because you had to be a stubborn, independent ass," Ayato grumbled, but his hands remained gentle.

"Oh, shut up." Yuuki giggled tiredly. She found the obvious contrast between his words and his behavior amusing.

"Is that how you thank your hero, pancake?"

"Looked more like a villain to me," she chuckled in response. It was a good thing that his face was turned away from her sight, or else she would have seen his smirk. She smiled anyway. "But I will commend you on your perfect timing."

"It wasn't." His tone didn't indicate any modesty. "I can't believe you let yourself get hurt by anyone else other than me."

"Thanks, babe. So romantic," Yuuki commented sarcastically. If he had attempted to indicate that the people who care the most are the ones who are hurt the most, then maybe it would have been somewhat poetic. Corny, for sure, but at least she'd award a few brownie points.

But she felt a trace of fear left in her heart. What if he was serious? What if he considered her as tarnished goods?

Almost instantly after he cleaned a damaged area, the injury vanished.

"Whoa. What happened?"

Ayato sighed. "Must I spell everything out for you? U-R-A-V-A-M-P-I-R-E."

"Oh... Can I ask why you're angry?" His dissatisfied expression bothered her. It would be problematic if she accidentally set him off.

"Not angry."

"Yes, you are. What's wrong?"

"Frankly, all this blood's going to waste."

Yuuki's eyes narrowed. He was stalling. "That's definitely not it."

"Oh yea?" Ayato challenged. "Then maybe I should do something about it."

"Eh?"

Without any further warning, he began to lick her scraped knee. All the nerves in vicinity of his tongue flared up at once.

"Kyaa! What the hell are you doing?!" Yuuki yelped, reflexively bashing him on the side of his head with her other leg. Ayato looked up at her with an expression of utter irritation.

"You've got some nerve, pancake..." He growled with menace.

"Sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to do that," she quickly repented. "But, honestly, it was your fault."

"What are you getting so bashful about? I sucked you a minute ago and you didn't care."

Yuuki face-palmed. "That was different!"

He didn't bother responding, being uncharacteristically mature about her outburst. In actuality, he remained silent because he could already guess every word she would utter had he prodded her further. They had a similar debate before.

It _was_ different. Ayato didn't drink for pleasure or swallow back in the restroom. He simply sucked the poison out and spit every once in a while, until it stopped tasting "tainted".

Ayato stood up and moved onto her face with a fresh washcloth. She closed her eyes and he carefully administered his care, erasing all her scars.

Yuuki felt clean and wholesome again. His tenderness alleviated her fear. Truthfully, when it was Ayato who drank her blood, they felt like naughty little love bites. When it was anyone else, they felt dirty. Did he feel the same way?

"Apparently, you and your brothers were princes..." Yuuki mumbled absently.

"Wasn't that obvious?"

"Well, I admit that your mansion is impressive... So is your school."

"What – that's it? Everything about me is impressive, pancake."

Yuuki's remaining injuries protested as she laughed. She had thought wrong. Nothing could shake the immaturity out of her Ayato.

His hand lingered on top of her bite marks. "These will need some more time to heal," he explained, lightly tracing the area around them.

"M'kay... Who were those girls anyway? I'm assuming not just any vampire can attend here."

"They're from various influential families, although they're far below us."

"Us?"

Of course he only meant his brothers. Like Reiji had earlier. _What other response could there be anyway?_

When Ayato did not offer a response, she shuffled off the bed and hugged him.

"Ayato. Take me home."

* * *

The limo was waiting for them. Yuuki was about to hop on before she heard someone call out, "Wait~!" She turned to see RHJT panting and looking somewhat nervous.

"Who_ are _you?" The question was directed at Yuuki.

_Eh?_ She was pretty sure the gang knew perfectly well "who" she was. Why else would they attack her?

Ayato wrapped his arm around Yuuki's shoulders.

"This is Yuuki – the first mortal to endure the awakening, my future-bride, and the one who shares blood with the Demon Lord." He announced before shoving Yuuki into the vehicle and signaling to the driver that it was okay to go.

Inside, Yuuki stared at the boy (who acted like nothing had happened), thoroughly perplexed at what had just occurred.

"Why did you answer?" Yuuki ventured once the school was out of sight.

"So she knew exactly who she dared to mess with."

"I'm not that important..."

"Are you trying to openly insult me, pancake?"

"Yeah, yeah. Everything about you is impressive, I know." Yuuki teased, resting her head on his shoulder. "My bad."

"Exactly. Since you've gotten it right, I'll forgive you."

He tried to kiss her hair, but she moved away before he had the chance.

"Also – stop putting words in other people's mouths! What did you mean by _future-bride_, huh?"

"You said you wanted kids. I'd imagined that you wanted to wait until marriage."

Yuuki transformed into a flustered cherry. His chérie.

"AYATO, YOU IDIOT! I NEVER SAID YES AND I NEVER SAID THEY'LL BE YOURS!"

Ayato only laughed as she attempted to pull his hair out. Her embarrassment never ceased to amused him.

* * *

A/N: If you recognize the song reference - I love you. Self-explanatory chapter. I will leave you to your momentary bliss.


	24. Chapter 24: Aftermath

Pochi tackled Yuuki as soon as they got home and started licking her with affectionate kisses of absolute love.

"Aww, Pochi – hahaha – stop!"

"Oi, mutt. Get off her." Now was not the time for cuddling.

It growled at Ayato when he attempted to pick the dog up. The change in demeanor was appalling. Ayato paused midway before retreating. Not because he was scared of it or anything. He didn't want the pooch to cause a scene right on top of Yuuki. Especially after what she had just been through. His eyes met hers, and Yuuki silently thanked his thoughtfulness. She knew he would never willingly back off from any other ultimatum.

"Pochi? Don't do that, boy. He's the one who saved you in the first place," the girl gently scolded.

The puppy whimpered apologetically and nuzzled into her chest. Ayato felt an unintentional pang of jealousy.

"Don't worry, Koinu~ It's not antagonizing Ayato specifically or anything. Pochi just growls at everyone but you. I should know - I've tried playing with it."

"Laito?"

He leaned against the wall and tipped his signature fedora. "Welcome home. You two are early?"

"Yes. We've – uh – had some issues." Yuuki offered as she sat up.

"Your clothes-"

"I'll explain later when everyone else comes back," she said quickly and tried to change the subject. "What are you doing here?"

"He got suspended for being a pervert again," Ayato interjected.

"Pochi acted as my only company. Koinu-cchi's been ignoring me recently so I've been feeling lonely."

"Oh sorry," Yuuki laughed. She pet the dog on it's fluffy head. "We shouldn't be calling him Pochi, though. It sounds too girly."

"You care far too much about nicknames, pancake. It's like a bad habit."

"Uhh... you two do realize that Pochi is a girl?"

"Say what?!"

Pochi cocked her head innocently at the shocked couple. Then it clicked.

_Ohh, that makes sense. When does Laito ever pay attention to males anyway?_

"So she's only friendly to another female?" Ayato sniffed. The jealous sensation dimmed down until it was only of hum of it's original intensity. It wasn't that bad if Yuuki lavished affection on a pet. Not like a dog could take his place in her heart in the first place.

"I dunno," Yuuki replied, standing up. "What if she can sense that you're all vampires and is just scared?"

"You're a vampire, too." Laito pointed out.

Yuuki smiled innocently. "Well, maybe I'm just more human than the rest of you."

"Alright, if that's the case," Ayato started, "little girls should not be up so late. Now, go take a bath, change, and go to bed."

"Roger that, commander," Yuuki pouted. "Goodnight."

Ayato smiled and gave her a brief kiss, not caring that Laito acted as a witness. Actually, it was better this way. "Goodnight."

She took her bag from him and went upstairs. Pochi followed at her heels.

Laito's eyebrows shot up and he gave Ayato a look that asked for an _explanation, maybe_?

"Not now." Ayato grumbled with a perpetual frown, walking away from the foyer to return to his own room.

He had been holding back his anger. For Yuuki's sake. The second his door shut behind him, it was like the dam had been breached. She couldn't see him here... Good thing she hadn't noticed it too much, despite the tall tale signs of his bad mood. He didn't tease her like normal. If he had truly forgiven her, then he would have jokingly told her to strip back at the infirmary or something. But he knew that it wasn't Yuuki's fault. Rather, if anyone should be begging for his mercy, it would be-

"Those damned bitches..."

All of the negativity gushed forth - an urge to destroy everything in his sight. Had he been Subaru, all the furniture in his bedroom, including the plush carpet, would be in tatters.

But he was not Subaru. He was Ayato.

And Ayato was violent towards _people_ when they committed a heinous crime against him. (Plus, there was no reason to induce Reiji's wrath as well.)

"Now," Ayato chuckled darkly, picking up a bamboo skewer and tossing it up, as if he was testing it. "Who shall we murder first?"

* * *

Laito noticed a seething Ayato opening the front door with a little too much force.

"Where are you going?" Laito asked, feeling somewhat alarmed himself. Not for his own safety, of course. The elder decided that Ayato never looked so terrifying in his life... The only time that the younger brother somewhat resembled this furious demon beast was when he was about to go off on a hunt.

"School. I have some unfinished business to take care of."

* * *

A/N: Ha. 'Cuz _really_... As if Ayato was going to leave it at that ;)


	25. Chapter 25: Internal Dissent

This night would go down in history as the first time the academy had to undergo a lock down.

Such an event was unprecedented. Everyone had panicked when the news of a violent intruder caught like wild fire until the teachers enacted the proper emergency procedures.

Security was paramount. The officials immediately evacuated the humans through an underground tunnel system, leaving the others to fend for themselves for the first few minutes of the crisis. The students may have believed that they were given priority because they were wealthy celebrities and children of "important people". They would never know that the true reason was to make sure that there were no witnesses.

Even the supernatural among them were shocked. This wasn't normal. Nobody dared to fight in this institution – where safety of any individual enrolled was guaranteed.

But when was anything _normal_ at a school secretly filled with creatures of the dark?

Their carefully built "peace" had shattered in an instance when they had learned of the rampaging male with especially strong powers. He was targeting a specific group of girls, but the rest of the student body and the staff were painfully unaware of who he was planning to lash out against...

* * *

Two cowered in fear in a dark and empty classroom, tired of running from their inevitable fate. They knew immediately who was after them and that there was no where to hide. Justice had finally come to its reign of terror.

"You don't think," one of the girls whispered to her companion, "that Ayato-sama's planning on killing us, do you?"

"Shut up," the other responded. "We're immortal. We'll be fine."

"_I'm_ not! I'm only part-nephilim." She buried her face into her knees. "I don't have any powers to save myself."

"Don't worry about it," her friend hissed. "You're under Lilith-sama's protection."

The descendent of the nephilim looked up with tears in her eyes and shivered. "You don't believe in that either. Lilith-sama is a greedy bitch who wouldn't give a second thought about us."

"Watch your tongue, Nakusa! Do you _want_ to be branded a traitor?"

"Shh! I hear footsteps."

Indeed, someone approached closer and closer. They sighed in relief when they recognized it as the distinct sound of a pair of stilettos.

"Here's where you two wimps are hiding."

"Lilith-sama! We're so glad to see you," the loyal one gushed as the two girls stood up to greet her. "It looks like you're unhurt... Uh, where is...?"

"He found Arachnae first," the red-headed succubus grimaced. "Don't know what's happened to her. Probably died."

"Serves her right," Nakusa mumbled. "She was downright evil."

Lilith's eyes flashed angrily. Arachnae was one of the few she thought of as her equal - the two sides of the same goddess spectrum. They were the true partners in crime.

"You ungrateful little cockroach." The leader grabbed her subordinate's neck in a death grip. The other girl squealed in horror as Lilith gouged an eye out of her victim with her long, painted nails. "You've seen far too much in your pathetic little life."

Nakusa cried out in pain. The other felt bile rising up her throat, and desperately fought back the urge to vomit. It would be suicide to feel sympathetic towards anyone who provoked Lilith-sama's wrath.

"I should stamp you out completely," the leader snarled at the girl, "but these shoes are way too good for you."

Lilith wiped her grimy paw against Nakusa's blazer and tossed the mutilated former friend to the side.

"What the hell, man? Don't go ahead and start torturing others," a dreadful voice called out. Nobody had to face the door in order to know who had arrived at the scene. The game of cat-and-mouse was over.

"That's _my_ job."

* * *

A/N: I apologize for not updating for an entire week with only a crap chapter to offer by the end of it. Apparently, the night school that Yuuki and the Sakamaki family attend is for celebrities and entertainers. I had to deal with this new revelation, meaning that this chapter came into existence. The student body does include humans, but there are rumors of vampires roaming around (in the canon). The administration is aware of this and therefore provides the proper facilities required for their otherworldly students (in "E&E"), since they could care less where their salary is coming from.

RHJT is called Lilith because I'm so goddamn unoriginal, and Minion No. 1 is now named Nakusa (which means "unwanted" in Marathi). Minion No. 2 won't be named unless any of you awesome readers want to brainstorm ideas for that loyal, mindless little brat. Next chapter will include Ayato's rampage in all of it's proper glory, I promise. Tired of dragging this thing out with far too much exposition lolol.


	26. Chapter 26: The Bloody Episode

"Laito?" Yuuki entered the living room, wearing a fresh set of clothes.

"Hmm, what's up Koinu-chan?"

The girl looked around worriedly. "Where's Ayato?"

The elder triplet tensed imperceptibly before evading the question with one of his own. "What's the matter?"

"I... I just have a bad feeling."

The male stood up. He didn't want to distress her by telling her the truth. But Yuuki picked up on the little details in his unusual demeanor and her expression worsened.

"Laito." Yuuki's tone had hardened. She needed confirmation. "Take me to his room."

* * *

The three girls turned to see the incensed predator, who had tracked them down at last.

"You've finally arrived, Ayato-sama! I knew it wouldn't take you long." Lilith addressed somewhat cheerily. She walked towards her broken companion, who was clutching at the destroyed eye. Nakusa screamed as she was picked up by her hair.

"I'm assuming you're here for the blood money," the red-head continued before pushing the girl towards him. "Here."

Ayato caught the sacrificial lamb and snarled. Nakusa whimpered and shut her one good eye to block out the unnerving sight. For a second, she resembled Yuuki back when she was still human. Ayato abruptly let her go like a pack of hot coals and she collapsed at his feet, knees too weak with terror to continue standing.

"She'll die if you play with her long enough. She's no vampire," Lilith trilled, settling down on one of the chairs and crossing her legs.

The male laughed. It was a cold, harsh sound. "You think that this is good enough?" He dropped his bag of weapons onto a table and picked out a sword for convenience's sake. It didn't look like he would have enough time to do this as slowly and painfully as he had hoped.

It's frigid metal suddenly greeted Lilith's neck as Ayato appeared towering over her. His unrestrained glare triggered goosebumps and caused the hair on the back of her neck to stand at attention. The succubus' expression stiffened.

"Oho? What's this... No appetizer?" Lilith asked in a low tone. The playful quality in her demeanor had disappeared.

Her taunting infuriated him. It reminded him of his mother.

"Consider me merciful when I leave you to rest in pieces." Ayato roared before slashing at her throat. He was a second too late.

Lilith appeared a few feet behind him, unharmed. "Ooh, I hope that misstep doesn't bruise your ego. I'll tell you where you erred, my dear – you talked the talk but could not walk the walk. In short, you delayed when you should have striked."

"You can teleport?" the male asked in surprise. Lilith had been _physically_ running away from him ever since he had found that goth freak and took chase after them.

"I have a few powers, you know." She gestured at her last henchman, who huddled against the wall in the vain hope that she wouldn't be noticed. There was no point in trying to escape now. "I'm not one of those_ lower_ vampires."

He spun around to face her. She barely dodged his lightning quick strike, but the front of her shirt tore open.

"Oh my, Ayato-sama! Are you being _forward _with me?" Lilith laughed as she leaped back, using the tables as platforms. She didn't attempt to cover her sudden exposure. Boys tended to get distracted by her rack.

"Shut the fuck up."

Thrust. Retreat. Slice. Jump.

"Fuck? Well, we can do that too."

Ayato couldn't stand this slut. She was too crafty. Too brash. Too plastic.

"Not interested in playing with Barbies." Ayato retorted before launching himself into the air.

* * *

Yuuki knocked on the door. "Ayato? I'm coming in."

Laito concealed his apprehension. He had hesitantly obeyed her order because she would be more suspicious if he had refused.

She turned the knob only to find an empty room. Well, not exactly _empty_. Just without anyone in it.

"Is that an iron maiden?"

"Yeah. Ayato sleeps in it."

"Sounds just like him," she responded, unsurprised. She walked up to the device and reached down to open it before Laito caught her wrist. Yuuki looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"Don't disturb him right now."

The urgency in voice unsettled her further.

"... He's not here, is he?"

Laito choked on any excuse that he could offer.

"...No. He's not here."

Her eyes filled with tears. The boy stared in grief before pulling her into an embrace.

"Why are you crying, Koinu-cchi?" Laito asked, while patting her soothingly. It wasn't like he had admitted that his younger brother was getting into some sort of danger. She had not witnessed the worst part. There was no valid for Yuuki to be worried, although Ayato _was_ probably doing something reckless.

Yuuki sobbed soundlessly while mentally debating whether to answer or not. Even if she didn't necessarily distrust him, why would she spill all of her heartache and sadness to Laito? Besides, how could she possibly articulate all of the thoughts flooding her mind? The vampirette decided to only tell him half of the truth if not all of it.

Laito could barely hear her muffled response. Or at least, he wished that he heard it wrong.

"Because he's not here... when I need him to hold me."

* * *

Nakusa and her ex-friend watched in a mixture of awe and despair. It looked like the duo were swaying to an elaborate dance that would only end with one party's death. She would narrowly avoid his blows. He would get angrier and exert more energy to injure her. They could see it on his face. He wanted to hack her guts out, but she wouldn't let him.

"Are we not equally matched? Am I not a worthy partner?" the succubus called out in between close encounters with hellish pain and another evaded wound.

Ayato was about to respond with an "In your dreams, bitch" behind grit teeth when Lilith tripped on his bag. In fact, the others felt somewhat impressed that she hadn't done so earlier, since she was wearing high heels that were practically weapons themselves. They were called stilettos for a reason.

"Oof. Hold up. I should get a fair chance at this too," the chick said, making a time-out motion with her hands. Ayato mentally rolled his eyes and used the distraction to his advantage.

"AH! What are you doing?!" She cried as gashes materialized all over her body. The bag dropped to the floor with a thud and muted clangs. "I wasn't ready!"

"When did you ever care about an honest competition?" This hypocrite had played dirty the moment she had set her claws on Yuuki, who she obviously saw as a rival. So technically, she started it. "Do you think I'm playing your little game here?!"

"Frankly, yes. Now stop – STOP! It hurts!"

Ayato paused. Not for a rare display of mercy. God, no. It was all for the effect of the suffocating silence that followed. Nobody moved, afraid of breaking the sudden, unexpected hush.

"It hurts now, you say?" Ayato hissed. "Good. You deserve it. And I'm going to do exactly what you've done to my Yuuki. Except this time, it's going to be a nightmare that you will never escape."

Lilith prickled. If there was one prevailing trait that could define her, it would be jealousy.

"Oh, that pathetic excuse of a former human? She's even worse than a pure-bred vampire. A monster of her own worthless kind."

Ayato's nostrils flared in anger and stabbed the woman right in her torso.

"NO!" Lilith's last friend cried out. She clamped her hands firmly on her mouth although there was no need. Everyone ignored her outburst. Tears streamed down her face and she silently called out for "Lilith-sama, Lilith-sama."

"What makes you think you're any better?" Ayato exploded as his victim howled. Blood spilled out of her and stained the tatters of her ruined uniform.

Lilith grabbed the blade and mutilated her own palm, but the sword would not budge. He was too strong.

"Go ahead. Kill me, Ayato-sama," the succubus wailed. "You will only confirm the love that I have given to you all these years."

"Stop spouting nonsense." He dug the weapon deeper into her. "You never loved me."

"I did and I do!" Lilith insisted. "Or else I would not have become so successful. I dedicated my life, my body, my _everything_ for you, Ayato-sama. Look at me. How can_ she_ even compare to what I can offer?"

He had never heard a bigger lie. Who gave a damn about this chick's so-called plights and misfortunes? Unfortunately, he would not fall for the sympathy card.

"Pathetic." Ayato commented. This red-headed pair of jumbo tits was truly pathetic. He drew the sharp metal out of her. She inhaled in sharp relief before coughing up blood. Lilith clutched her disfigured side and heaved. She did not see him raising his arm to deliver the final blow until her friend shrieked and jumped in front of her. No, not jumped. _Threw_ herself in the way.

Lilith froze as she watched Ayato beheaded her final companion in slow-motion horror.

Ayato also paused in surprise at the self-sacrifice, before once again raising the sword. Lilith flinched but felt nothing. She opened her eyes to see Ayato violently mutilating the severed body and rushed forward. It wasn't a selfless act or instinctive disgust on her part – she could care less about her fallen "friend" - but a sinking realization that nothing would stand in his way. That he would kill anyone without a second thought.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" Lilith screeched. Ayato threw her off.

"I won't forgive anyone who dared to even_ touch _Yuuki," he growled before turning stalking towards her.

There were noises from the corridor.

"Why do you care so much about her?" Lilith asked, supporting herself with the table that she had crashed against.

Ayato brandished bloodied sword once again. "...Because Yuuki can let me surpass my father. Not turn me into him."

At the exact moment when Lilith believed that she could see the reaper hanging behind every step Ayato took, the door burst open. The outsiders had come to crash the party.

* * *

A/N: There you have it. I've done everything to possibly disappoint you further. I'm sorry but I'll say it again: damn, you readers are way too good at guessing what's going to happen next.

This somewhat all-over-the place chapter needs some serious A/N addressing, I should think.

1) The reason I included Yuuki's hunch (hashtag-unnecessary-interruptions) is because ultimately the story is about her _and_ I've kind of noticed that she and Ayato share some sort of telepathic wavelength. No, seriously. Remember when she and Ayato both were trying to drown Cordelia together although neither could consult each other? It's like they instinctively know what the other is thinking when push comes to shove (pun totally intended). You can quote that in your shipping journal, lol.

2) Poor Laito's soul. Yuuki basically saying that he's not good enough. So friend-zoned, jajaja.

3) I hope I made this clear enough, but if not, I'll just say it outright. Ayato hates his parents so much that he starts projecting that hate to his other enemies. Gosh, this kid has problems. As in, violent tendencies and temper issues albiet for the sake of revenge. Also, Lilith is an idiot for thinking his desire to murder her brutally could mean any "special feelings" in the first place. It takes her buddy's downfall to make her figure it out. SMH.

4) Stupid-arc-with-detestable-characters-who-end-up-dying-the-same-night-that-they-are-introduced does have a reason. I'll explore that in the next few chapters. Alright, thanks for reading everybody. Toodles.


	27. Chapter 27: Upsetting the Balance

Yuuki felt a band of sunlight peeking through a gap in the curtains. It wasn't often that she awoke while the sun was still out anymore – adjusting to a nocturnal lifestyle meant spending fewer hours with the daylight. The "battle scar" on her neck stung when she shifted her neck.

"Ow..." Yuuki fingered the bandages lightly, feeling both refreshed and heavy.

_I wonder if they didn't recover yet because of the poison._ Yuuki thought absently._ Oh well. I've had plenty of bites when I was human. I can deal with a little pain._

Pochi was napping at the foot of her bed peacefully. It fallen asleep there when Laito had tucked her into bed after she had cried all over his shoulder. She made a mental note to thank him sometime and apologize for causing a scene as she shuffled off the plush mattress and padded downstairs. Yuuki didn't bother changing because it was unlikely that any of the boys were up, especially after such a long night.

_A long night for me, maybe. I guess I need to tell the others what happened before even more rumors start popping up. _

Yuuki frowned at the prospect of breaking the truth. It would be problematic if the boys reacted negatively.

_Sigh, this is honestly my own fault. Jumbo tits would have probably left me alone had I been a good little Japanese girl and ignored them. But no~ I had to go ahead and attempt to confront them on my own as if it would solve my problems. This western-style mansion is getting to my head, I swear. Reiji's right. I need to learn my place... but even then... Who would have thought I'd have to deal with bullying after all the things I've been through? God, is this another test for me? I'm sorry if I've been a bad person. I'll try to shape up and control this loose tongue of mine._

Yuuki was about to turn the knob to the living room but stopped herself when she heard angry voices from the other side.

"-hat were you thinking?" Reiji voice rebuked, stern and fierce. "You nearly jeopardized our true identities tonight!"

"We can deal with the witnesses," Kanato tried to reason.

"It's not a matter of dealing with the _witnesses_." Reiji's words were dripping with scorn. "Can you even _comprehend_ how shameful it is to have not three, but _four_ boys from the same household suspended, Ayato?"

_What about Ayato? What suspension?_ Yuuki perked up, her ear glued to the door. She could care less that eavesdropping was a very bad habit indeed.

"Hold on, it's not the end of the world," Laito piped up. "Many girls have died at our hands before..."

"Never at school." Kanato's muffled voice indicated that he was probably hiding behind Teddy.

Although already well aware of the sacrificial brides, she still gasped internally. Why were they talking about dead girls? She didn't want to guess. It chilled her that suspension would be the bigger issue.

"I've told you again and_ again_ to keep those kind of activities to. your. room. Who the hell do you think has to deal with the damages?!"

A chair fell backwards. Subaru gave a surprised shout and she heard noises of a small scuffle. Yuuki almost decided to interrupt before Ayato cut in.

"Don't try to act like you weren't involved," the youngest triplet hissed.

"Yes, I was." The sound of Reiji pushing his younger brother to the ground and brushing his blazer off. "And because of your idiotic decisions, _I _had to get my hands dirty."

"Shut up, you stupid neat freak. As if-"

The wall next to the door shook as Subaru hit it to gain his brothers' attention.

"Enough!" Subaru roared. "Stop fighting amongst yourselves. We need to discuss an emergency here."

"Exactly," Laito added, obviously peeved. "Put your damned egos aside for a minute and_ think_. This is about Yuuki in the end and I know perfectly well that all of you are just as concerned as I am!"

"What about me?" Yuuki demanded, bursting into the room unapologetically. Kanato seemed the least surprised. He had been the first to detect her presence while the others were busy fighting.

"Care to explain, Ayato?" Reiji challenged, forcing the boy to stand and face Yuuki. She nearly choked when he did. His shirt was destroyed and stained and his eyes were bloodshot.

_Calm down, Yuuki, let's not be rash here. It's not the worst-case scenario. _Her voice of reason superficially comforted her. _Yet._

Unlike usual, Ayato looked down in shame. He couldn't smirk at her normally while looking like he had just been on a killing spree. Which, in fact, was the truth.

His shyness worried her. Yuuki looked around the room, but it didn't look like they were planning to offer any explanation.

"... Before I jump to conclusions... tell me _exactly_ what you were doing..." Her fist quivered at her side along with her voice.

"I-" His green eyes fluttered to the side and Yuuki repeated her question.

Ayato cleared his throat. Why was he, the Almighty and Great Ayato Sakamaki afraid of some stupid little question anyway? There was no shame in what he'd done. Fighting for vengeance could be called _honorable_... right?

"I got rid of them," he answered shortly.

"Them? Who?" Yuuki's sour expression deepened. It was clear that she was going to hear the answer that she had wished to avoid - but until he clarified it, there was still a sliver of hope. _A tiny, almost statistically insignificant sliver of hope._

"Those bitches." Ayato shrugged nonchalantly. "Who else?"

"YOU RETARDDD~!" Yuuki yelled and flung herself at him. Her emotionally-charged punch nearly landed squarely on his nose, pausing only a hairsbreadth away. Ayato stumbled backwards by a few steps and momentary alarm passed through the onlookers.

She felt like killing him. She really did. Instead, Yuuki retreated her suspended hand.

"Nothing gets accomplished through violence," she spat before swirling on her heels and exiting the room with an air of fury.

_Not properly._

* * *

A/N: A little culture lesson - Japanese people are very non-confrontational. That's one of the reasons why Yuuki's behavior with Lilith was so unusual. Normally, Yuuki would ignore the gang's insults and provocation. Even after getting into the fight, she couldn't expect to be helped out by a stranger had someone else walked into the bathroom. That's why Yuuki is frustrated at herself at the beginning of this chapter, thinking that the encounter could have easily been avoided.

Yuuki, being the merciful, self-blaming little creature she is, would obviously react negatively to the news. Ayato seems to have lost a piece of himself =/ I am just _not_ liking how any of the characters are dealing with this situation. Therefore, I shall make amends with the following additions, where I will address a few questions that may have crossed your mind: Where's Shu? Also, did they literally get off the hook with _suspensions_?!

I can only hope this acts as a rude awakening to the brokenness of the family, rather than this idealized portrait of romance and supernatural struggles. I apologize once again for a delayed chapter installment. My laptop took over 24 hours to update something that should of taken 3 minutes at maximum. Hashtag-First-World-Problems


	28. Chapter 28: Damsel in Distress

Yuuki cursed internally with every step she took.

_That idiot! That stupid, brainless, violent, unbelievable, half-witted monster! Who the hell actually kills someone for being a dumb bully? AYATO – that's who. I can't believe it. I can't believe him! I can't... UGH._

"Pancake!" the boy in question called out from behind her. She twirled around to face him.

"Go away, Ayato! This isn't something where you can apologize and everything's all perfectly fine again."

"Just listen to me."

"No – I don't want to hear it." Yuuki broke into a dash.

The vampirette feared that she was the cause of even more suffering. Rather, she _knew_ that the cause of the bloodshed was herself. And the idea terrified her.

Yuuki slammed her bedroom door shut loudly, scaring the still-drowsy dog.

"Sorry, Pochi," the girl huffed before plopping down beside it. She covered her face with her palms.

"I can't believe I_ trusted_ him," Yuuki lamented. She felt like she was going to vomit.

The dog poked her gently with its wet nose as if to ask, "What's wrong? Don't be sad – everything's going to be alright."

The irony of its concern and imaginary-encouragement in contrast to the harsh reality made her giggle coldly.

"No, dear. Unfortunately, it's not alright. And it can never be." Yuuki said as she cupped it's furry face.

"Granted, those girls totally deserved what was coming to them, but I mean... It doesn't make murder okay."

The situation seemed somewhat parallel to what had transpired between her and Cordelia. In the end, the witch and her lover had both died at the hands of the brothers. Why did it seem so wrong now?

She shook the dog's head almost playfully. "How am I supposed to make him understand, Pochi? He's a _vampire_, for God's sake! A head ache that shouldn't even exist in the first place. Oh, why is it always like this? It's not fair. This shouldn't be happening."

Pochi whined in sympathy and Yuuki sighed. Talking to a pet was not solving anything... Suddenly, the dog turned it's head and growled.

"What's wrong, girl? Is-"

"Don't - Don't run away from me."

Yuuki visibly trembled at the sound of Ayato's frustrated voice. He had appeared in her room without permission. Again.

Pochi started to bark as he approached. The girl quickly put a hand on the animal to calm it down.

"Down, girl." Yuuki whispered.

"What? Are you scared of me now?" Ayato asked when the vampirette remained silent.

"Nn... Yes." Yuuki admitted. There was no point in lying or trying to act tough.

"You know I'd never hurt you."

Yuuki shied away. "I don't believe you."

He bristled. "Why?"

"... You've hurt me before."

"Not my fault that you're over emotional about everything. You're just way too sentimental and shit."

_Oh, so caring is a vice now?_

"That's not what I meant and you know it. Don't pretend that you haven't physically done so in the past," the girl accused.

Ayato scoffed. "Physically? Biting doesn't count."

"True. I can't blame you for your nature."

"Then why the hell are you avoiding me, pancake?!"

Yuuki poked him in the chest.

"Because _you_ have problems," she sneered. "Should I spell it out for you? You're a jealous bastard. You've literally slapped me just because I was_ dancing_ with your brother. I should have realized it then... You're downright _abusive_, Ayato. You would just as easily break your own family member's bones as you would ruthlessly _kill_ another person."

Why did his heart throb with a dreadful sense of guilt? His heart wasn't even beating. Ayato grabbed her wrist and kept her from pulling away. She squealed unhappily. Pochi shuffled around on top of the mattress, annoyed at Ayato but unwilling to disobey orders.

"Why is it a problem if I get rid of what's tormenting you?" Ayato asked quietly.

_Oh, how ro-man-tic~_ She rolled her eyes.

"For one," Yuuki retorted. "I told you to treat girls gently."

"Don't be so dense, pancake. You really expect me to leave them alone after what they've done to you? Do you know how many people would think that it's okay to just go ahead and mess around with what's mine? No fucking way."

"You don't get it, Ayato!" Yuuki exclaimed as she finally escaped his grasp. "I didn't need you to go so far or take revenge or whatever the hell you were trying to accomplish. I feel_ betrayed_ honestly. I was so, so, so happy when you helped me out back there. I know how much you care. And I thought you had forgiven me. You're right - I'm an idiot. But please. Please. Just let me deal with my own problems for once!"

Yuuki had started to cry in the middle of her ranting.

"I'm so sick and tired of being the damsel in distress! You don't have to try to be my knight in shining armor. But - for me - can you please try _not_ to be the villain? Just be the attention-seeking prankster that I fell for. I can't take it anymore, Ayato. I can't stand it when you're the enemy."

Startled by the plethora of confessions, his first instinct was to comfort her. Deep down inside, Ayato knew that the right thing to do was to apologize - but that simply wasn't his style.

"... Hey, Yuuki? Yuuki. Look at me."

"I can't," the girl whimpered.

"What do you mean you can't?"

She shook her head. "Have you even seen yourself?"

"Eh?" Ayato turned towards her vanity to see his own ghastly appearance reflected in the mirror. He examined his bloody hands and clothes.

"I guess... you could say I look dead sexy?"

Yuuki couldn't help but snicker at his attempt to make light of the situation.

"Yes. Quite literally."

Ayato stared at Yuuki in silence. Pochi cocked its head in curiosity.

"... Mind helping me clean up?"

The meaning behind his question was not lost.

Yuuki figured that it was the best apology that she was going to get. Besides, even if she forgave him, there were still consequences left to face. And if anyone would bother helping the misled and moronic boy at all, Yuuki preferred to be the one standing beside him - vampire or not.

"Sure. I'll help you hide the body," the vampirette joked grimly. Her sanity shook it's head sagely in disapproval.

* * *

A/N: Well then... Yuuki confessed without even realizing it =3= It's sort of disappointing. Nah, more like, she's disappointed in her own unconditional love.

I hope you read this while imagining a cold atmosphere around them. It wasn't meant to be all fuzzy-warm with cuddling and mercy. (Firstly, the fact that Ayato is filthy is not an appealing thought. And secondly, Pochi probably would have cock-blocked them.) She literally tears him apart, calls him abusive, and then proceeds to accept him. It's a very bad cycle to be honest. (Life Tip: when in an argument, use "I" to describe how you feel. Avoid using "you", which comes off as accusing.) Thus, I shall once again state my intention for this fanfic to sink or swim with this ship and hope that I can keep it from sinking in the first place.

Oh, by the way, Yuuki's not going to _actually _help him hide any bodies. It's an expression to show that he can count on her. Just to clarify. I don't want Yuuki to be going anywhere near those corpses... Anyway, we'll have more of the Sakamaki family in the following chapters. Please continue to look forward to it ^u^


	29. Chapter 29: Deliberation

"Ayato, I'm coming in~" Yuuki announced before entering the bathroom with a fresh set of clothes.

She shyly handed the articles and looked away, feeling like she was intruding on his privacy even though he was wearing a bathrobe. His half-exposed chest? Ayato never buttoned up his uniform properly anyway. Besides, it's not like seeing the other leg was scandalous simply because he only rolled up one end of his pants.

Maybe it was the fact that the grime of the night before had been replaced with soft, clean terry cloth. The whiteness made him look almost angelic. Maybe she felt embarrassed because she was in the presence of a _freshly bathed male_... Which was definitely not a thought that she was going to explore any further.

Yuuki blushed when he caught her spying out of the corner of her eye.

"Erm, do you need anything else?" The vampirette asked hastily.

Ayato smirked and flicked his wet hair out of his eyes. "Nah, I'm good for now."

"Alright then... Imma go now."

Yuuki all but ran out, feeling incredibly foolish.

_Ugh, what's wrong with me? He's going to think I'm some sort of pervert now. Well, in terms of nakedness, he's seen far more of my skin than I have of his. So HE'S the pervert!_

The incident reminded her of the time where she found the eldest brother in the bathtub.

_Oh, yeah... Was Shu in with the others this morning? I don't remember seeing him. Hmm, well I guess we have some serious explaining to do. Or at least, I want to hear the full story first. Being ignorant of the situation is frustrating._

"Koinu-cchi!"

"Huh? Oh, Laito. Sorry for the fuss earlier today."

"About that... tell Ayato to hurry up. We're holding a meeting – like,_ right now_."

"Eh?" Yuuki blinked rapidly in confusion. "During the daytime?"

Laito yawned on cue. "Yes. We're all tired but it's not like this is something we can delay."

"Agreed," the girl sighed. Yuuki turned around to knock at the door once again but Ayato opened it at the same instance. He could tell what she meant to say just by her expression.

"Yeah, yeah..." Ayato grumbled. "I'm coming down." He reached down to grab Yuuki's wrist and tug it along. "You're coming too."

"Um, are you sure I'm allowed to attend?"

"You're part of the family, now. Plus this concerns you too."

Laito raised an eyebrow, but decided to keep his thoughts to himself for the sake of diplomacy. Yuuki remembered that she had intended to thank him, except she'd have to word it in a way so Ayato wouldn't become jealous. She didn't want to be Miss center-of-another-quarrel.

"By the way - thanks for the help, Laito. I couldn't have found Ayato's room without you."

_Good. Now it sounds like he showed me where to find the clothes. I'm so smart._

"-Hurry up, pancake. Reiji will be mad if we're late."

_I'm sure that's not what he's actually mad about._

"Alright, alright. We can _walk _you know! You don't have to drag me along."

* * *

"... Where are we going?" Yuuki asked after they passed the sitting room. Ayato only squeezed her hand as they followed Laito down to some obscure corner of the house. They entered a room in the basement that resembled some sort of garage, with a chandelier of Edison light bulbs illuminating a single table. It was strangely industrial chic compared to the victorian-ness of the rest of the mansion. It felt somewhat out of place and cold.

_Strange, yet intentional._ Yuuki thought morbidly.

The rest of the family was already there... As well as something – or some_one_ – else.

"Oh my gosh!" Yuuki gasped when they came close enough to see a girl tied up to a chair. The vampirette recognized her as the one who had called her a cockroach. Ayato's bag was discarded next to the chair.

"Ah, Yuu-chan came along?" Kanato asked when they noticed their arrival.

"What's going on here!?" Yuuki demanded, noticing some obscure sharp item in Kanato's hands. "Why is this girl gagged?"

The purple-haired boy shrugged. "I'm only gentle if I'm planning on preserving them," he mumbled unapologetically.

"You thought they were all dead?" Laito asked.

Yuuki crossed her arms. "Yes."

Ayato pulled her closer, almost like he was protecting her, and whispered, "What are you getting angry about, pancake?"

"This is the only survivor among the four that attacked you." Reiji explained. "A nephilim."

"Reiji! How could you allow this?" Yuuki accused. She did not expect to see him letting someone be tortured right in front of his eyes. Wasn't he supposed to intervene? Where was the paradigm of justice and proper behavior now?

Subaru banged the table. "Forget about that for the moment! We have some other things to discuss first."

Yuuki suppressed her outrage momentarily and turned towards the circle. Shu was at the head of the table.

"Yuuki, sit down." Subaru ordered. "You look like you want someone to explain."

"Damn right I do."

"The nephilim has already told us what they have done to you..."

* * *

The vampirette was seething at the end of the discussion. Re-living last night seemed to carry a lifetime of hurt.

"So let me get this straight..." Yuuki started with her voice shaking. She paused to remind herself to remain calm. "After I was sent off to bed, Ayato returned to school. He attacked the spider chick, where you two," she gestured at Reiji and Kanato, "intervened. You _let_ _him get away with it_ and he goes off to kill the two others right in front of this poor girl?!"

The brothers nodded.

"_I'm ashamed of all of you._" Yuuki spat. "This dumb idiot would have kept up his rampage had Shu and Subaru not have burst into the classroom. You're lucky nobody from school witnessed it."

"Not exactly," Kanato corrected. "The school doctor was the one who gave me and Reiji and Ayato our suspensions for now."

"You're lucky you got off with _suspensions_! Do you realize what you've done?!" Yuuki exclaimed, horrified at their indifference.

"We realize it better than you do," Subaru growled, hushing the girl properly.

"And now I've got my record soiled..." Reiji scowled under his breath.

"I think we can trust the doctor to clean up." Laito interjected. He didn't want a replay of their earlier scuffle.

The vampirette looked at the eldest triplet in bewilderment. "How come?"

"He knows the true identities and races of all the students... Since he has to take care of any sort of – how should I put it? – _ emergency_."

"We still have to worry about damage control." Reiji said, pinching the bridge between his nose before adjusting his glasses. "Hushing up the media will be troublesome. Lilith was a pretty well known idol. And murdering the Black Widow of the East will not settle well with her family."

"That's not a problem. We can give them enough blood money to live happily for the next one hundred years." Laito pointed out.

"It's their fault for picking a fight with us in the first place." Ayato added. "They'll accept their daughter's dishonor in targeting us through our allies."

In the silence that followed, Yuuki's temper cooled down a little. She realized that in the supernatural world, this kind of conflict may occur often and there were probably established ways to deal with the consequences. The fact that the brothers were sitting down and discussing this very serious matter was progress in itself. Letting her be a part of this was a rare privilege in any case. She had been excessively judgmental in a case where she understood very little.

Finally, Shu spoke. "This is not something that we can judge for ourselves. I've contacted our father this morning. He's already on his way."

A collective unease penetrated the group. The brothers grimaced at the thought of Karlheinz visiting.

"You're screwed, Ayato." Kanato mocked.

Yuuki turned to look at the boy sitting next to her. Ayato covered his face with the crook of his elbow, red with despair.

"I know that," he groaned in reply.

"What's wrong?" Yuuki asked, genuinely concerned. She had never seen Ayato look so distressed. Especially since he always referred to his parents in scornful contempt whenever they popped into a conversation.

"You don't know Yuu-chan, but when Shu was held back for failing his exam, our father sent him to train in the North Pole."

"It was a real survival trip," Ayato commented once he regained his composure. "He had to fight polar bears and came back all scratched up and on the brink of collapse."

Yuuki glanced at the eldest in disbelief, but Shu didn't deny it. She had a hard time believing that the lazy young man would ever put in enough effort to make a PB&J for himself, let alone fight for sheer survival.

"Well, I guess that takes care of the question of what to do with the guilty parties." Reiji stated.

"For now." Kanato said doubtfully. "But what if something like this happens again?"

Yuuki perked up at the new subject. "Just teach me how to defend myself," she voiced.

"What are you saying, pancake?" Ayato picked up one of her skinny arms and waved it around comically. "See how fragile you are?"

Annoyed, Yuuki pulled her arm back and swatted him. "You forget that I've gotten stronger. I told you right? I'm tired of being the damsel in distress."

Laito nodded. "What's there to lose? A few self-defense lessons won't hurt."

They turned towards Reiji, who was their de facto head, for his approval.

"Don't look at me. I don't have time to be instructing her. I need to prepare for Karlheinz."

Nobody bothered asking Shu, who would obviously prefer a nap. Kanato was too much of a crybaby to be trusted with such a task.

Laito also refused. "I don't fight girls," he said, adjusting his fedora with a smile. "I only eat them up."

At this point, Yuuki suggested, "Why not just have Subaru teach me?"

"Eh?" The youngest uncrossed his arms, surprised at the sudden attention. "Why me?"

"Yeah, why him?" Ayato echoed.

"Because I know that Subaru's strong," Yuuki said. "And he's not suspended."

Nobody could argue with her logic, even if a certain red-head wanted to challenge the new development. Alongside teaching self-defense, Subaru was in a position where he could act as her bodyguard.

Subaru sent Yuuki a look of gratefulness. It was not long ago that he confessed that he was a weakling unable to protect those he cared for. The fact that the vampirette could so confidently state that she trusted his ability was encouraging. It made him feel worthy. Not useless.

"How come you won't consider me?" Ayato asked, his ego evidently bruised.

"Because, I don't want to fight with you." Yuuki whispered back, which seemed acceptable enough to appease his concern. The vampirette leaned back on her chair and exhaled deeply.

_Anyone, but you..._

* * *

A/N: This crisis forced them to undergo a huge shift in their character development, wouldn't you think? You would never expect the Canon!Sakamaki family to sit down and actually discuss an issue openly and come to a rational conclusion - which is leading the decision up to KARLHEINZ of all people! Plus, I love the fact that Yuuki's standing up for herself and trying to become stronger. Stuck a ton of AyatoxYuuki tidbits to make up for the last chapter because I owe it to you guys ^_^


	30. Chapter 30: Spare

Nakusa whimpered and the group remembered her existence.

"What should we do with the nephilim?" Laito asked.

"Give her to Yuuki." Ayato replied without hesitation.

"Wha-" the vampirette blurted in surprise.

"You need a steady source of blood. 'Sides, she's practically human," Ayato explained.

"But-"

"Good idea." Reiji half-praised.

"It would makes sense to give her to Yuu-chan since Lilith offered her as a sacrifice in the first place."

"Wait! I don't want to be dumped with her!" Yuuki protested.

"Why not?" Laito inquired.

"Just let her go free," the girl suggested.

The brothers looked at her incredulously. Ayato snorted.

"No way. We'll kill her if it comes to that. I left her alive for a reason."

The nephilim tried to say something, but was reduced to tears when it proved impossible. Yuuki stood up and ungagged her, not bothering to ask for permission to do so.

"What is it?" Yuuki demanded, not unkindly.

"Go ahead. I always _unwanted_." Nakusa sobbed. "Just end my misery and kill me."

Yuuki felt a pang of sympathy. A few weeks ago, she was in the same situation.

_Would it be kinder to let her die?_

Ayato noticed Yuuki's conflicted state. He looked at his brothers in turn and they seemed to come to a silent agreement. They could not help the fact that their own souls were tainted, but none of them wanted the vampirette's hands to be similarly stained.

"Pancake," he started, "I'll support any decision you make. If you want to leave the girl alive, we'll leave her under your protection. Do you understand? You'll be responsible for her... _But_, if you don't want to deal with it and leave this matter behind you, we get to choose what to do. You of all people are not required to be merciful. Don't forget that she was one of your attackers..."

His attempt to show that they were willing to approve of any standard that she would allow herself miserably backfired. Yuuki gazed at Ayato with despair, and mouthed "How could I ever forget?" soundlessly.

How could he put her under the spotlight? How dare he give her such a stressful decision to make?

Reiji also tried to tip the scale. "Either way doesn't bode well from the perspective of the girl, if you're trying to find the lesser evil, Yuuki. You are a vampire now. However, I will say that obtaining blood from the hospital is a bother on my part..."

He left the fact that this was a perfect alternative unspoken. His warning was a rude awakening for the vampirette.

_Think. You're next words will change this girl's life forever. No – don't even consider them right now._

The girl shut her eyes to keep herself from looking at either the boys or their prisoner. The light bulbs bore onto her eyelids, and she concentrated on the shifting colors.

_How does this affect me? Technically either option is to my benefit._ Reiji's reiteration of Ayato's exasperated statement from last night rolled past her mind. _"You are a vampire." I am a vampire. I have to stop thinking like a human in this matter..._

Yuuki opened her eyes.

"I will take her," the girl declared to the others, who patiently waited for her response. "She is my exclusive meal now."

With that, their meeting was adjourned. Laito volunteered to take Nakusa to her new quarters and the others decided it was time to hit the sack.

When Yuuki returned to her room, Pochi greeted her without reserve. She pet the dog absently.

Yuuki nearly envied its innocence. It was completely unaware of the decision she had just made. It still loved her and held no quarrel with her in its heart.

"Here, girl. I think it's time for your lunch," she cooed in soft tones. Yuuki had given Pochi its breakfast right after she had changed out of her nightgown so it was a tad too early for lunch. She rewarded it with a treat instead.

The vampired sighed as the puppy nuzzled her palm and licked the remaining stray crumbs of a biscuit.

In truth, she had not wanted to admit that she was too weak to call the death sentence upon the nephilim... In truth, she did not want to come to peaceful terms with her former tormenters. But if she had admitted that, then it would seem like she hadn't found the heart to forgive the six boys she cared so much for.

Yuuki curled up into herself, sharing her sorrows and misfortunes with God alone.

_Really, life's so endlessly cruel..._

* * *

Laito led the nephilim to a simple bedroom in a tower.

"Really," he chuckled as he undid the ropes that bound her hands. "You are endlessly lucky."

"How so?" Nakusa asked lifelessly, making the vampire look into her eyes sharply. He brought his hand up to stroke a strand of her hair.

"You really don't get it do you?" Laito said as his fingers moved down her chin and onto your neck. "Here you are, so obscenely cut up, and yet I am forbidden to partake in the blood that is before me."

Nakusa inhaled sharply and stepped back, quite unnecessarily. Laito's hand dropped to his side and he made no move to approach her.

"I'm not interested in you – it cannot compare to what I am enamored by," the vampire stated indifferently.

He turned to walk out of the bedroom. "But I will say this. You are lucky in that Yuuki called you her _exclusive meal_." The lock clicked loudly as Laito turned the key for the door – a black iron gate.

The nephilim rubbed her wrists as she stared at barrier to her freedom. Laito pocketed the keys and they jingled happily.

"And if there is one woman I respect in this world, it would be her."

* * *

A/N: I think Yuuki's main inner struggle is being unable to love those around her without reserve. She still loves them, but it's always paired with a sense of guilt. I really enjoyed writing this scene, where nobody was there to judge her and Pochi acted as a medium of comfort. On the other hand, it's lovely how the others hold her to such high esteem and are constantly trying to protect her. She touched their hearts, and therefore earned their respect...

Anyone notice the chapter title word-play? "Spare" as in "spared; saved" as well as "leftover; uneaten; undesired" pretty much sums up Nakusa's situation, lawl.


	31. Chapter 31: Healing

Someone gently stroked Yuuki's hair, stirring her from her sleep. At first, she thought it was Pochi, but she could still feel its weight on her legs.

"Mm... Ayato?" Yuuki asked as she rolled over to face him, rubbing her eyes.

"Good morn– er – night," he replied quietly.

"What is this pervert doing in the bed of an unmarried woman?" She didn't mind, though. It had happened so often that she had stopped being surprised. At least until she wrapped an arm around him. "Are you _shirtless_?" Yuuki spluttered.

"Can't help it. It's hot."

Yuuki muttered something inaudible before falling back into dreamland.

Ayato felt somewhat smug about the fact that she didn't seem to care that he had sneaked under the covers again. A few seconds later, however, she sat up with a start.

"Oh gosh. I have to get ready for school!" Yuuki exclaimed. Both the dog and the vampire shifted in annoyance. Ayato pulled her back down onto the pillow.

"Don't worry about it. 's canceled," he grumbled.

"How come?"

"It's shut down for the next week for a formal investigation or something."

"They don't know it was you guys?"

"It's obviously a cover. The less people involved, the better... The few supernaturals who had detected my presence are keeping silent."

"Oh. Makes sense." She started to draw patterns on his chest. "What's the official story then?"

Ayato adjusted himself until he was sitting, his arm laid out in a way so that Yuuki could rest on it.

"Uhh... some berserk groupie entered the school premises... lashed out at certain famous individuals who wish to remain anonymous at this time... school closed for the safety of their students as the administrators handle the issue and figure out how someone was able to get into the building in the first place."

"Ooh, what a scandal. I'm sure you've caused quite an uproar," she commented before giggling.

"What's so funny, pancake?" A few hours ago, Yuuki resembled a boiling kettle whenever they were on the subject of his rampage.

"You're supposedly 'some berserk groupie' now. It's kind of funny."

"Ha~ha," Ayato replied dryly, trying to fight the impulse to jump her. She really was oblivious to her own charm. "You obviously got over it quickly."

"Oh, Ayato. Don't think I'm not angry about this entire fiasco. I am. But let me forget about it for this moment, will you?" Basically, she was asking to let her hug him without thinking that she was in love with a murderer. Had she not already resolved to support him?

They stayed in that position in silence until Pochi truly arose a few minutes later. It immediately sensed another presence and bared its teeth at the boy. Ayato mimicked the expression and kicked the blanket near it to startle the animal.

"Don't bully it," the girl scolded. "Come here, Pochi. It's okay... Good girl."

The puppy stepped awkwardly over their covered bodies before reaching her lap and settling down. It barked once at Ayato in order to express its distaste of his existence.

"Oi. I have as much of a right to be here as you do. Don't give yourself too many airs."

His threatening towards the house pet made her smile. "Actually, the dog's right. I should have kicked you out the second you set foot in this room." Yuuki began to massage the creature's head and ears with soft strokes, attempting to ease it into a calm state.

"Yeah, whatever." Ayato grumbled before reaching out his own hand. Pochi growled. "How come it hates me? Freaking scared it'll bite my fingers off."

"She won't hurt you," the vampirette urged. "Go on."

The dog continued to emit hostile sounds until the moment when his hand almost touched its fur. It whimpered when the boy experimentally stroked the length of its back and remained silent the second time.

"See?" Yuuki whispered. "It's not so bad."

"It's warm," he responded in awe. His reaction made her giggle and she tried to pass the puppy onto his lap.

"Whoa, whoa. What are you doing?" Ayato suddenly protested.

She looked at him with wide, disappointed eyes. "You won't hold it?"

"Of course not. Are you crazy?"

Yuuki pouted. She continued lavishing attention to the dog, albeit half-heartedly.

"Hey, pancake." Ayato prodded once he noticed her downcast behavior. "What's wrong?"

"... I was thinking... If this was our child, would you be afraid to hold it?"

"What makes you think that I would be afraid to hold _a baby_?" Ayato gaped after he realized that she was seriously asking the question. It kind of blew his mind that she would hypothetically even have their child.

"Because you might be afraid that you'd break them." Yuuki replied, matter-of-factly. "And it would make me sad. Because their father never even held them."

Ayato couldn't remember a time when his father had held him. He doubted that the event had ever occurred at all.

Yuuki's vision blurred with tears when she guessed what kind of lonely thoughts had filled his mind. She thought she saw a shadow of one forming in his.

"Oh, my dearest. I'm _so_ sorry!" Yuuki gushed apologetically before embracing him.

It was far more passionate than any other kiss that they had shared before, like a fire ignited in her belly. Suddenly, her tongue was in his mouth – or was it his in hers? Did it matter?

They broke apart when somebody had moved in error and the bandage on her neck ripped off.

"Ow. Oops, sorry." Yuuki mumbled after recovering from the sting. She looked up to see Ayato staring at her neck strangely.

"What, is there a really ugly scab?" She touched the area tentatively and felt nothing. "Or a scar maybe?"

"Yuuki... I think I've discovered your ability."

_Eh?_

For a long time, she had been wondering why she could not teleport like the others. They had told her that vampires may or may not have a special ability. Kanato, for example, could control fire among other things. Yuuki had tried in vain to find out whether she had one but never came up with anything substantial, other than the fact that she was a tad stronger. So to finally learn that she actually did possess ability was an exciting discovery indeed.

"Really? What is it?" Yuuki asked anxiously. Ayato looked into her eyes sparkling with curiosity and grinned at her enthusiasm.

"You have the power to heal."

* * *

A/N: Fluffy chapter with new developments to set up the hated parental figure's arrival? Yes, please!

Note: Yuuki's new power only works if she's in the mental state to heal. Therefore, her poisoned bite only disappeared when she felt content in the presence of Ayato and Pochi and not all "I wanna kick your asses for being violent, dumb-asses!" *cough* Pardon my french ;)


	32. Chapter 32: Banter

"So how come it's an ability?" Yuuki asked as they munched on waffles in the breakfast nook. There was some sort of a guilty, childish pleasure of eating them at night. "You weren't surprised when they disappeared in the infirmary."

"Vampires tend to recover quickly by human standards," Ayato responded somewhat indifferently.

"But you defeated your uncle with one stab, right? It wasn't even Subaru's knife."

"Ugh, let me eat in peace woman," Ayato grumbled. The girl let his complaining slide because she knew that he didn't like talking about Richter. Or any of the adults for that matter.

"I obviously used a special sword, though it's not made of pure silver or anything. Besides, he didn't die until Laito took care of him." He proceeded to take a large forkful and chewed the syrupy bite expressively.

"...Then you're only saying I have this special power because the area was poisoned?" Yuuki stated with a raised brow.

"Duh," the boy replied with his mouth full.

She crossed her arms and leaned back with a small frown. "I don't buy it, then."

"How come?" Ayato asked, mostly just to humor her.

"You sucked the poison out right after."

"There would still be some lingering effects, pancake. Normally it should have taken you a week to get better at best," he elaborated. "Vampire poison basically immobilizes your nerves among other things."

Yuuki shivered, and they ate quietly for a moment. "By the way, it's annoying how your calling me 'pancake' while devouring a waffle. They're practically relatives."

His deathly white fangs flashed as he smiled. "What's the matter? I was planning on eating you after this in the first place."

The pervert alarm in her brain shrieked a red-alert warning.

"I'm afraid that you'll have to cancel those plans." Kanato said as he entered the vampirette internally sighed with relief.

_You always have the most perfect timing, my friend._

"What's up?" Yuuki pretended to casually ask the purple-haired boy.

Kanato blinked, like he was recalling the reason for coming there. "Reiji told me to go dress you up today."

"Eh? What's the occasion?" They did play dress up often, but it's not like he was ever _ordered_ to help her get ready.

"Don't be so dense, pancake._ That_ man's coming in a few hours," Ayato explained and Yuuki scrunched up her nose.

_You mean that man whore of a father?_

"Why do I have to look pretty for _him_?"

Kanato face-palmed his younger triplet sighed.

"Seriously, Yuu-chan. He's 'The King'. Not to mention that you're literally his guest as well as his newest subject."

_Oh._ She hadn't considered the implications properly. _Maybe that's what Reiji was trying to tell me earlier..._

Ayato gently pinched her nose to catch her attention, since she was spacing off.

"It would make life simpler if you make a good impression on him," he said once she glared at him in mild irritation.

"What do you mean?"

"That way nobody will object to us getting married, and my plan to become the new Vampire King will be sealed for success."

Kanato cackled with sudden amusement. "You? King? I'd like to see you try," he laughed while clutching his stomach. Ayato pricked at his brother's jeering.

"I can. And I will!"

"Hey, hold on." Yuuki interrupted before they could go off on a tangent. "I never agreed to marrying you yet!"

"_Yet_."

"Oh my gosh, Ayato. I-"

"- Can you two save this discussion for later, please? Yuu-chan needs to get ready."

The couple paused, one side feeling particularly foolish with her rant being ruthlessly cut off. "Alright. I'll be right upstairs," she conceded and Kanato disappeared promptly.

"We're not done here," the vampirette growled between her teeth before jabbing Ayato playfully with an elbow.

"Oh, hold on." Ayato said as she stood up.

"Mm?"

He wordlessly pulled her close and_ licked her face_.

"What are you doing?" Yuuki exclaimed, her face contorted with shock. "Like, seriously, bro?!" French-ing this morning never meant that he had the right to randomly_ lick_ her.

"You had this string of syrup on your chin," he offered.

"You could have just told me, you know." Yuuki mumbled as she wiped the offended chin with the back of her hand. It's not like his slobber sickened her, just that she was thrown off.

"Nah. Would ruin the fun," Ayato chuckled. Her expressions made his pranks all the more worth it. Yuuki stuck her tongue out at him for mocking her, which only seemed to amuse him further. The second she was gone, however, Ayato's face fell. He had been concealing the anxiety shifting in his gut behind a curtain of mirth.

Yuuki helped him forget his hate for his father, albeit momentarily. She was the charm that kept him sane.

"You don't get it, pancake," Ayato mused to himself. He plucked a strawberry left on her plate and consumed it nonchalantly, while imagining how Karl Heinz would try to ruin his life.

"... You can heal _any_ kind of scar."

* * *

A/N: Turns out that Yuuki has the ability to mend physical wounds as well as mental ones - Subaru's case, for example. Ayato must excessively pride himself for realizing it. And Kanato's just so done XP

I've been writing whenever I have a moment to spare (*cough* meaning when I should be trying to meet another deadline or finish another assignment). The chapter with Karl Heinz's arrival was getting too long, so I decided to break it up to smaller scenes, and suddenly, this part became another drawn-out cliffhanger. That man was supposed to pop up in Chapter 32... Shmerr.


	33. Chapter 33: Arrival

"Yo. Ready?" Ayato asked as he entered her bedroom.

She was anything but. Yuuki was only wearing a set of undergarments and Kanato quickly blocked his view of her with an extravagant dress.

"What the hell?!" Ayato spluttered after a moment of general awkwardness.

"Whoa, whoa. Let's not get mad – we don't have time for it." Yuuki began, already trying to calm him down from a distance. She could already predict the rage that would follow.

"That's not what I meant! Why is he in here while you're all -" Ayato flushed and was unable to finish the sentence.

"You've all seen me in my nightgown before. It's not like this is any different." Yuuki bit her lip to hide her embarrassment. Ayato contemplated killing any else who saw her skin, namely Kanato, or helping his girl out. Thankfully, he chose the latter.

"Alright," the red-head grumbled. "Go ahead – whatever." He shut the door behind him and started to make his way towards them without stumbling on the discarded articles of clothing. "What happened here?"

Kanato ignored the question. "How do you suppose Yuu-chan should look in front of our father?"

"Don't ask me - that's your expertise."

"He means that I have to look appropriate for the King as well as casual enough for home," Yuuki grimaced and pushed the gown aside. "And this is far too formal."

It was a dilemma indeed. Ayato scanned the wardrobe on the floor, and picked up something randomly. "Try it." Kanato moved aside and Yuuki took the blouse.

"Not a bad choice – I'm impressed," Kanato said. "But how do you plan to make the rest of her outfit?"

"I don't fucking know," the younger brother admitted.

The vampirette picked up a pair of shorts. "This?"

"No." Ayato immediately stated. His sudden confidence – or rather, conviction – surprised her.

"Why not?"_  
_

"I agree." Kanato intervened. "Nothing that shows too much leg."

Yuuki let out a quiet_ oh_~

"Here," Ayato said, handing her a pair of jeggings since it was more conservative. The vampirette put them on, but they all thought it was too laid-back.

Kanato gave her a full-length skirt. "Wear that on top." Yuuki obeyed. "Much better."

"Should I take the pants off?"

"No, just leave them. We only have five more minutes or so." Kanato stated before moving on to accessorizing tastefully. He left her hair alone.

"That's good enough." Ayato piped up after awhile. She was starting to look like she was going on a date.

"Thanks, Kanato. You can go now."

"I'll ask one of the maids to clean up," the boy said before leaving.

The vampirette examined herself in the mirror and seemed satisfied. "You seem a little calm, don't you?" Yuuki said to Ayato's reflection behind her.

"Eh?" He had been anything but calm.

The girl turned around to face him. "Don't forget why your father's coming home in the first place."

"Like I could, pancake." Ayato snorted. She frowned at his reaction and began to button his shirt up.

"You of all people should be the one trying to make a good impression." Yuuki scolded lightly.

"You have a problem with the way I look?"

"Of course not. But it doesn't help anyone to look like a delinquent today... Put your tie on properly."

"I don't know how." Ayato grumbled and Yuuki tried to hold back a giggle.

"No wonder," she muttered while fixing it for him. "At least unroll your pant leg by yourself."

He did so, but scowled when he saw his reflection in the mirror. "Look like a damned teacher's pet."

"My question is why you're wearing you're uniform when we don't even have school."

"I didn't wear my hoodie for a reason, smart one." Ayato said as he loosened his tie slightly and unfastened the top two buttons on his dress shirt.

_Aww, so you did try._ The vampirette smiled. _Oh, so this is the only set of nice clothes you have?_ She thought a second later, remembering their day out together.

The vampire looked up at her window sharply.

"What's wrong?" Yuuki asked.

"He's here..." The vampire pushed the curtains aside, and Yuuki peered out.

"Is that a _carriage_?"

"Being flashy as usual." Ayato sneered. A man with long white hair got out of the coach, and she assumed that it was the dreaded father. She paid little attention to him, however.

Yuuki stared at the horses and noticed them... _shifting_. It was like one of those stickers that moved when you looked at them at different angles.

"Do you see that?" Yuuki asked breathlessly.

"See what?"

"... Nevermind. Let's go down."

* * *

A/N: He's here! Ahhh! The dude is here. I don't know what to do with myself anymore. *cringes and hides in the corner of the room*


	34. Chapter 34: Unwelcome

Ayato dislodged his arm from around Yuuki's waist after teleporting outdoors, much to her secret displeasure. The broken contact made her feel isolated all of a sudden but it wasn't like she was going to admit it. Not knowing what to do with herself, she stood behind him and Subaru as the family solemnly greeted Karl Heinz.

"-really quite disappointed in the two of you," she heard the father muttering to Shu and Reiji. The eldest pair regarded their father with cold civility and submission.

_None of this is their fault._ Yuuki thought internally as her mood soured. She tried to keep the sentiment from showing on her face.

The father's golden eyes scanned the younger sons. He was about to address the main problem child, who was deliberately sporting a scowl, before noticing the girl hidden at the back.

"Eve!" Karl Heinz exclaimed and his face broke into a smile.

_Who?_

"Komori Yuuki, Your Highness," the vampirette corrected as she curtsied – a skill from Reiji's crash course on how to be a lady.

Karl Heinz waved his hand. "No need to be so formal, my dear. Well then... let's go inside, shall we?"

_What was that all about? _Yuuki wondered as they marched into the mansion. Her father would not have left his beloved daughter under his friend's care without disclosing her identity, right? Surely there were more important concerns than herself, putting the obvious name-butchering aside.

She wasn't the only one worried about his sudden change in demeanor. The brothers protectively walked beside her, forming a semi-circle, and Ayato kept a possessive hand on her shoulder. Karl Heinz noted their behavior silently as Reiji led them back indoors.

Yuuki's jaw dropped at the feast that waited for them in the dining room.

"You must be hungry from your journey, father." Shu stated with insincere hospitality. "Would you like some blood to refresh yourself?"

"No, thank you... I only drink from a live sacrifice."

_Ugh. Suddenly, food doesn't sound so appealing right now._ Yuuki thought, although she wasn't feeling very hungry in the first place. Too bad she couldn't become a vegan.

Shu only nodded curtly. Their father was aware that their blood had been supplied through the hospital ever since their resident human had _turned_.

The girl in question tugged Reiji's sleeve to get his attention. "Me and Ayato already ate a few minutes ago," she whispered.

"Just sit quietly then," he replied under his breath, and the eight settled down in their respective seats.

The vampirette expected the suffocating silence that would follow and found that it didn't really bother her. The only sad part about the affair was to see how disconnected they were, but at least they weren't at each others' throats. She stared at the goblet of cranberry juice resting in her palm when Karl Heinz spoke up.

"You are not eating much," he noted, startling the others. Laito, although not one to harbor violent tendencies, subdued an urge to punch his father in the face for stealing his line.

Yuuki shifted in her seat uncomfortably. "Um, I just don't have an appetite at the moment," the girl explained, but the man seemed adamant to continue pressing the issue.

"Shu, are you making sure our guest is getting fed properly?"

"Yes, sir." In fact, it was Reiji who had cooked the meal but nobody mentioned it. Shu didn't seem to like receiving the credit either; acting responsible and polite took a toll on him.

_So, I'm being fattened up now?_ Yuuki absently sipped the red liquid. _Sorry, but I'm not livestock anymore._

Karl Heinz inquired about various topics concerning the household, but seemed indifferent to most of the responses he received from the boys. He already knew the major details before arriving since he received occasional reports from Shu and other... sources.

"How is the recovery for the wing?"

"Complete, actually." Reiji answered, relieved that there was finally an accomplishment worth discussing. "Would you like to look around?"

Yuuki's interest was piqued. _Oh, I wasn't aware of this._

"After I deal with the business I'm here for." There was no need to explain further. The idea weighed down heavily upon the company.

"Of course."

Yuuki seemed to be the only one to see Reiji visibly deflate and felt a pang of pity.

_Guess I won't be going sight-seeing anytime soon_...

Karl Heinz noticed the curious sparkle in her eyes disappear. "Komori-san, do you like horseback riding?"

She was getting tired with dealing with these out of the blue inquires. There were obviously others present who would prefer the attention

"I never had much of a chance to ride, but I've never heard of a girl who isn't fascinated by horses." Yuuki answered diplomatically in hopes of shooting down the small talk.

"Then please join me for a trot. I would very much enjoy your company."

"Uhm, okay," she squeaked, feeling very foolish and awkward. Yuuki and the brothers shared a look of anxiety, but their concern further unsettled her.

_Wait... Alone?!_

* * *

A/N: The one challenge that I'm facing is writing about a character I know very little about. If y'all can give feedback, it would be much appreciated. I'll try to fix anything that strikes you as "Nope. That's definitely not something so-and-so would do..." or any other thorns that need to be removed and rough edges that need to be smoothed out.

I like how Yuuki relies on Reiji to know what she should be doing. And Karl Heinz super-duper creepy here. He's totally not interested in anything other than "Eve" O_o


	35. Chapter 35: Midnight Ride

"Are you coming or what, pancake?"

"Wait - right now? At this hour?!" The fact that she developed superior night vision after the Awakening did little to quell her surprise at the nocturnal proposal.

"Duh. When that guy wants you to do something, you better believe he wants it immediately."

_Sounds like someone I know._

"Erm, alright... Here, Kanato. Take my skirt."

Karl Heinz had already gone out to prepare for their ride, leaving the boys to mumble amongst themselves.

"Should we follow her?" Subaru suggested as Ayato escorted Yuuki out of the dining room.

"And inflict that man's punishment? No way." Laito countered.

"Laito's right." Reiji added with a bitter edge. "Spying is a very bad habit indeed."

"But we can't just leave Yuu-chan alone with him."

"Yes, you can." Shu interrupted. "We have nothing better to do than wait."

"Where are you going?" Laito asked.

"I'm going to catch some Z's..." was the yawned response.

"Tsk. I would expect nothing less from him..." Reiji commented once the eldest brother headed off to his own room. Last time, Shu had been the one to leave Yuuki defenseless with their foul uncle.

"It's not like he isn't worried about her. Right, Teddy?"

"I wasn't planning on taking counsel from your dumb bear," the bespectacled vampire sneered before following suit.

Laito gave his younger triplet a sympathetic smile. "Don't take it personally, Kanato. He's worried too."

"I know... I guess I'll go put this skirt back in her room," the purple-haired boy announced, gesturing at the article that was hastily given to him.

Laito noted Subaru's frustration before deciding to retire himself. "Make sure Ayato doesn't do anything stupid, will you? His brainlessness got us into this situation in the first place..."

Their attention-seeking brother had enough brains to know that he didn't have any power, and wasn't going to pretend otherwise. It didn't mean that he was the slightest bit pleased with the idea of lending Yuuki out.

"Don't drop your guard." Ayato warned as he led Yuuki by her wrist.

"You're being paranoid." Yuuki scoffed, although she did admit that Karl Heinz's behavior was strange to say the least.

He stopped and whirled around to face her. "No. I'm not. You saw the way that bastard was chatting you up."

"You're father is _not_ Laito, thank you very much. Besides, he's just being hospitable."

"Oh, really? By isolating you from the pack?"

The vampirette rolled her eyes. "It's not like he's plotting to kill me."

"Yuuki..."

She sighed. Ayato was giving his I'm-so-done look. "I know. I'll be careful."

"Good." He turned his head to see Karl Heinz leading two black horses towards them. The vampire's long, white hair shone in the moonlight against the pitch dark animals beside him.

"See!" Yuuki exclaimed once she spotted the group. "It's happening again!"

"What is?"

"They're moving!"

"Of course they are." Ayato scoffed.

"No no no. Look at the _horses_. They're like evaporating or something."

"Oh that. It's cuz they're Nightmares."

"Huh?"

"A Nightmare," Karl Heinz began once he was close enough to join their conversation, "is a mythical creature – a demon of sorts."

One of the horses whinnied and nudged closer towards her. Yuuki reflexively took a step back, suddenly feeling very tiny.

"Go on," the man encouraged. "You can pet it."

"I'm not going to suffer from chronic insomnia or anything?"

"Don't worry. Bad dreams are quite unrelated," he chuckled. "This here's a gentle one."

Yuuki glanced at Ayato who nodded in consent. She reached out her hand and hesitated before placing her palm on the long nose of the smaller mare. A smokey black wisp swirled around her fingers before fading into the night.

"Oh," the girl gasped softly as she stroked the creature. "I thought my hand was going to go right through it."

"It's not that terrifying, is it?"

Yuuki laughed. "No, not at all. What's its name?"

"That one's Duchess. This is Prince."

Yuuki snickered even harder.

They let her pet the mare for a good minute before Karl Heinz mounted his horse.

"Come, my dear. The night is short and there is much I wish to discuss."

Yuuki's smile faded. Delaying the (questionable) invitation any longer was not an option.

"You ready, pancake?"

"Yup."

Ayato helped her climb up into the saddle.

"Hey, I'm taller than you for once," Yuuki joked, smiling in spite of her anxiousness.

"Yeah, well you better get back down here in perfect condition," the vampire replied once Karl Heinz had turned his steed around, too busy to listen to their parting words.

"I'll be fine," the girl insisted as she awkwardly picked up the reigns.

"Wait, you sure you know how to ride?" Ayato asked belatedly. "I mean, I can teach you if you don't."

_Aww, he's stalling for me_.

"You think I would've gotten on this thing if I didn't? Just because I said I didn't spend much time with horses doesn't mean I never learned." In order to demonstrate, she tugged on the rope to steer her mount towards the direction of Karl Heinz.

"Okay, okay. You don't have to show off now," he pouted while pocketing his hands and moving out of the way. "Stay safe."

"Ayato."

"Hmm?"

"... No, never mind. See you later." Yuuki prodded the horse into an easy trot by kicking its sides.

Ayato didn't bother watching the woman he loved the most and the man he hated the most depart together.

"You're just going to let her go?" Subaru demanded once their figures were out of sight.

The red head glowered at him. "Not like I can do anything about it."

"Why are all of you like this, dammit?" Subaru retorted, his fangs bared. "The others aren't doing anything either!"

"I can't directly confront that man right now."

"Ha. And you're planning on becoming king? Pathetic... You can't even challenge our father."

Ayato clenched his fist, trying to restrain himself from the provocation.

"Shut up. There's a difference between biding my time and putting Yuuki in unnecessary danger."

"Whatever you say, oh sensible one." Subaru spat ironically before turning to go back inside.

"What are you getting all sassy for?" Ayato demanded after grabbing his younger brother's shoulder to hold him back.

"You're the one who's being half-assed about things."

"Huh?"

"Like Laito said – your brainlessness is what got Yuuki into this mess in the first place. Why the hell are you acting so meek just because _that _man's here?"

"It's not like I need to justify myself to you..."

"Yeah, wasn't expecting it." Subaru mumbled as he shook himself out of the boy's grip.

"But I'll tell you the reason I'm staying put for the moment anyway."

"Oh, and what's that?"

"Pancake wouldn't approve." Ayato deadpanned.

The younger vampire blinked twice. "That's it?"

Ayato sighed. Here was a vampire just as knuckle-headed as himself.

"I'm not proud of it, but I hit Yuuki once. Granted she slapped me before too."

"Probably deserved it."

"Probably did. Anyway, after this incident with those bitches and shit... Yuuki's seriously scared. Not of me, but that I'll become abusive or something." Ayato admitted a little sheepishly.

"Become? You've_ been_ abusive towards her since the day you've met her. In fact, we all have."

"Yeah, well, I'm not intending to remain an asshole for eternity."

"Just so you can keep her by your side."

"Not _just_," the boy denied. He ruffled his hair and seemed embarrassed to make eye contact. "Look, Subaru. To be honest, I need your help. I don't know what's going to happen to me, but you've done nothing wrong. Please look out for pancake for me when I can't."

Subaru gaped at his cocky brother's sudden display of vulnerability.

"Oh, but I should warn you – make eyes at my girl and you're dead."

The younger smirked. "How am I supposed to watch over her, then?" Subaru joked. "Just kidding – I hate to admit it, but you're stronger than me."

"Damn right I am." Ayato responded as they fist bumped.

Both vampires decided to return to their own rooms afterward. Ayato lay on a plush couch pondering over what had just occurred.

It was weird... This was the first time he'd opened up to one of his own relatives. And for some reason, he was okay with this.

"Maybe this is what pancake meant." Ayato muttered to himself. "_Nothing gets accomplished through violence_, huh?"

For once, it seemed like he had an ally – and it was all thanks to Yuuki.

"Watch out Karl Heinz. You're about to face a force to be reckoned with..."

* * *

A/N: My gosh, it's been awhile since I've updated. I blame it on a mild writer's block (specific to this section - I'm getting too excited about things yet to come) and an incredibly busy week and a half. I rewrote a little bit of the last chapter as well, in case you haven't noticed.

So yeah, I've effectively delayed Karl Heinz's conversation with our protagonist once again. I apologize for that as well. But I do like seeing the tension that still exists within the Sakamaki brothers, and how it's breaking down in some ways because they're really all on the same side when it comes to Yuuki. I might of said it before but I feel like the pairs that would get along well once they got over their animosity would be Shu and Reiji, Laito and Kanato, and lastly Ayato and Subaru. I'm going to try and focus on why I think these guys could understand each other in the near future. I especially need Subaru and Ayato to be on good terms or there might be some explosions bringing the house down (obviously due to some petty jealousy over our heroine). Lol.

As always, thanks for your support.


	36. Chapter 36: Tête-à-tête

A chilly breeze stung Yuuki's nose, but the cold didn't seem to bother her. Besides, she was preoccupied with watching the scenery pass by, once again awed by the visual clarity with which she could appreciate the night. She had sometimes noticed the difference whenever the lights were turned off. Now, only the moon illuminated her surroundings and the full extent of the trait was revealed. Although she eventually accepted the change – a byproduct of being reborn as a nocturnal predator – she still felt somewhat robbed of her identity.

_Just think of it as wearing mega HD glasses, Yuuki. It's not like you see things like a cat now._ Ayato would have laughed at her. Probably also tease her with some snarky comment. _"Wow, your vision must have really sucked before. Glad I wasn't born human." _Yuuki could almost hear him say.

_Weird... I was just with that loser a second ago and I'm already thinking about him. _She shook her head like a wet puppy. _Not to mention that this entire situation is weird._

"Let's stop here." Karlheinz suggested when they reached the lake just as she began to wonder where they were headed. Yuuki hesitated before letting the man help her down. He didn't seem to notice and left the horses to graze freely before asking, "How was the ride?"

"I was alright. Duchess was gentle, like you said."

_That's an understatement. Was seriously doubting whether I was some sort of equestrian goddess or not._ Yuuki internally admitted to being saucy when Ayato had offered his help. Well, it _was _true that she had gotten on a horse before. Not much. Like twice in her life. But enough to know the basics. _Enough to get killed if anything had gone wrong._

The vampire in front of her smiled as if he could hear her thoughts. She wouldn't be caught off guard if he actually could.

"Yes, I know. Even a completely inexperienced person can ride a Nightmare if they allow it. The challenge is taming one."

"Is that so?" Yuuki responded absently while fruitlessly trying to rub some warmth back into her cool skin, sabotaging his attempt to start a conversation.

_Ohh. Makes sense. So I probably do need to brush up. _The girl felt a little betrayed by the revelation. _I guess Ayato really was stalling for me, that prick. He knew it all along, didn't he? Pretending to be all gentlemanly and attentive just so I'd thank him once I pass with flying colors._

The offended Ayato in her brain objected against the slander. His equally disheartened father turned away as she mentally wrestled with the figment of her imagination.

Karlheinz silently scanned his vast property for a minute or two. She wondered why he seemed so bent on trying to talk with her, yet remained mute once the opportunity arose. Surely, he had more important things to chat about than their mode of transportation... Or, maybe not. What if Karlheinz was actually a hopelessly shy guy? The thought amused her – a spineless king would be pathetic indeed.

_Nah. _He seemed too stately and serious to be like that. His aura oozed confidence, wealth, _power_ – the very image of a ruler.

"Why are we here?" Yuuki finally piped up, tired of trying to make assumptions about someone she had just met.

"To get away from my sons, of course," he replied.

"Huh?" She wasn't expecting him to be so blunt about it.

"It's hard to feel at home when they treat me like a perfect stranger."

_No offense, but you sort of are._

"On the other hand, you, my dear, seem to have settled in quite nicely." Karlheinz mused. "They hold you in high regard."

She released a short bark of laughter. "Well, yeah. I had to work for it though. Can you imagine the kind of horrors I faced when-? Oops, sorry. I shouldn't complain..." Yuuki trailed off after realizing that she had reverted to casual speech.

"_Nice going, pancake."_

"No, no. Feel free to continue."

The girl blushed in embarrassment. "Uh, no, I was just-"

"I insist, my dear. Speak your mind." Karlheinz ordered, not unkindly.

They went back and forth, trying to get the other to give in first. It was like a tug of war where neither party wanted to sacrifice their own thoughts.

Yuuki decided that didn't like it whenever Karlheinz used "my dear" – it felt both too formal and too intimate. She didn't blame him. The very nature of their acquaintance was just as unusual. It was neither strictly business nor personal, where the standard conventions of society could have helped ease them out of this unnecessary shyness. This awkwardness may not have existed if...

Dare she think it?

If Karlheinz had been the one to greet Yuuki when she first arrived at his doorstep. No misunderstandings would have arisen and the boys may have left her alone if their detested father was present to monitor their actions. Ultimately, they _had _followed the explicit order to keep her alive, if not keep her out of harm's way. And really, the man didn't seem as bad as his children made him out to be - he had treated her with politeness after all. Sakamaki, the politician and philanthropist, would have humbly welcomed her as his guest, the child of his friend, and kept them all out of trouble.

Then it clicked.

Karlheinz never needed to "humble" himself. He was a _king_ among the vampires. Others were always humble towards him – not the other way around... Even his own family was distant. And here he was, trying to coax Yuuki to relax and open up. Had she never known about Tougo Sakamaki's hidden identity, Karlheinz might have been able to put up a friendly front with his human persona. Unfortunately, they were both painfully aware that she would not fall for it. And so, the facade of innocent conversation fell short, leaving them feeling woefully distant.

_No wonder. _Yuuki thought. How were they supposed to get anything out of the exchange if she kept refusing to break the ice?

"Then, sir, will you answer my question properly?"

"Of course." Karlheinz replied promptly. "Ask away."

And suddenly, it felt like she was meeting Richter all over again. The vampirette clamped her mouth shut and only risked opening it after a moment of indecision.

"I've already asked: why are we here?" Yuuki paused to scrutinize his reaction. "I can't imagine why you've singled me out."

The man scoffed into the night. "Secrets are kept between those whom it concerns, no?"

"Secrets? I don't have any left. It seems like your sons know more about me than I do anyway. It wouldn't bother me if they were present."

"It is up to your discretion whether or not you wish to tell them afterward."

"So you're saying you have nothing to hide."

The adult looked at her with a mischevious twinkle in his eye. "There are only so many scandals you can be caught in within the span of a millennium or two."

_Millennium__?!_

Karlheinz chuckled. "You look surprised. I guess I don't exactly look my age."

"Is that how long vampires live?" Yuuki breathed once she recovered from her shock. He was as old as Jesus.

"Until someone bothers to get rid of them, unfortunately."

Yuuki perked up at the last word._ Ah. So we both don't like the idea of eternity._

"Oh yeah, Cordelia mentioned something about your wish..." Yuuki mumbled aloud before catching herself again.

"Ah, yes... my _wife_." Karlheinz grimaced, as if the mention of her sickened him. "I'm sorry that she and my brother caused you so much trouble."

"Urm, it's okay. It's all in the past so I'm not really bothered by it anymore." The girl squirmed uncomfortably. "How did you know?"

"I haven't turned a blind eye to my own household," the vampire chided. "I occasionally call and Shu reports back to me."

_Yea, I figured... Wait, we had a working PHONE?! And I did not discover it way back when because~?_ She face-palmed. Her life literally could be a damned Shakespeare play, and all the bored high school students and literature teachers alike would constantly point out specific moments where the heroine's doom could have been avoided.

"_Not bothered by it_, huh?" Karlheinz pointed out, chuckling heartily at the girl's display. "Obviously, that's not the case."

Her hostility started to peel away.

"Truthfully, sir, I'm slightly haunted by everything that's happened." Yuuki confessed, cracking a wry smile.

"_Truthfully,_ you say, and yet you won't even ask questions you actually want to address. What is it that's bothering you, child? Please don't waste my time on frivolous matters."

_Caught._ Yuuki nearly choked on her own saliva. "Uh, so – I, um..."

_Now's your chance, Yuuki! Don't waste it like a blubbering fool._

She cleared her throat. "I was never satisfied with the answers that Richter or the others gave me. Please, if you know, tell me about the truth behind my identity."

"Fair enough. I will tell you. What do you wish to know?"

Yuuki inhaled in relief and anticipation. Someone was finally willing to be frank with her. "Where are my true parents?"

"Dead."

"Oh." If that was the case, then there was no point in searching for them. Her adoptive father probably was telling the truth when he said that her mother had passed away when she was still a child. "My father..."

"Seiji has been doing fine ever since he's gone abroad. You need not worry about him."

"Thank you. I miss him." Yuuki pursed her lips. "You don't have to cover for him – I found his diary once but I won't bother asking why it was there. I know I'm not his real daughter."

The vampire nodded but remained silent. His expression was too vague for her to interpret.

Yuuki visibly tried to steel her nerves. "How did my biological parents die? Do you know where they were buried?"

"No, because a grave doesn't exist. Richter killed the couple and took you away because he realized that you could be useful for his plot."

Yuuki cried out involuntarily, making him frown. "You wished for the facts."

"I-I did indeed." The vampirette restored her composure. "Finally, if there is anything I don't know about Cordelia-"

"My dear, I'm not omniscient." Karlheinz interrupted. "I'm not aware of what you know or don't."

_Well, isn't that a relief._

"I've heard that she was the daughter of the Demon Lord."

"A good drinking buddy of mine."

"Wha?! You're friends with_ Lucifer_?" The unholiness of it made her cringe in horror. The idea of sharing blood with Satan never settled well with her either, but this guy was willing to_ break bread_ with the paragon of evil.

"Lucifer never had a child." Karlheinz corrected, seemingly ruffled at her apparent disgust nonetheless. "There's a distinction between mere demons and the devil himself. They are separate entities. That's like saying that fairies are elves. Quite insulting, really."

"Those exist too?"

"Only in your imagination."

Yuuki couldn't tell if he was teasing her or not. "So, my blood..."

"Is simply a power bank for us vampires. Be well aware of this, my dear. You wield a double-edged sword."

The girl sighed. "I know. But what can I do other than be content? This is my lot in life."

"... I admit that I'm not entirely regretful either."

"Excuse me?" _Are you telling me that you're a-o-kay with my life being a sick joke?_

Scratch that. Her hostility was just taking a short breather.

Karlheinz chuckled nervously. "This is going to come off as very creepy, but bear with me..."

Yuuki crossed her arms in mock authority. "I'm listening."

"I've been trying to get a hold of you since you were a baby. You see, I have long been aware that Cordelia's heart was residing within you, so Richter took measures to keep me at bay." He paused to kneel and took her hands in his. "I'm truly pleased to finally have you here at my estate for my own selfish reasons. And I sincerely apologize, because I'm to blame for all your sorrows. Please forgive me."

The vampirette gaped at the king looking up at her. What was that about humbling oneself? She couldn't even handle the irony anymore.

"No, not me! You shouldn't be apologizing to _me_!" Yuuki exclaimed, pulling away from him in shock. He tilted his head in confusion. "If anyone, you should be saying sorry to your family. I don't really blame you for what's happened to me. Well, not directly at least. But, if I may be so bold, the sin you've committed is neglecting your own kin."

Karlheinz was left speechless. "I-"

"I really don't know about parenting and I'm sure your excuses are all justified – but _really_, sir, I'm the one picking up the broken pieces. Was it that hard to show some affection and attention to your wives and your children? You've had _lifetimes _to perfect the art of relationships."

_Did I just-?_

Karl Heinz started to laugh at the young girl's rant. How many centuries had it been since he was last scolded?

"Why are you laughing at me? I'm being perfectly serious!" Yuuki protested in youthful indignation, but eventually started to giggle along with him despite herself. Why was mirth so contagious? She tried to strengthen her resolve by demanding that he control himself - it wasn't funny.

The vampire brushed his long hair out of his face. "You are perfectly right, Yuuki. I'm still at a loss to how I will make amends."

Her jaw dropped._ No. Fucking. Way._

"For a start... Maybe sort out this business that you came here to attend to." Yuuki suggested. Her mind was at a blank.

The vampire sighed as he stood up. "It's easy to deal with the death of a mortal, but things get complicated when one of _us_ are killed unlawfully."

"But neither is acceptable, of course." Yuuki's voice wavered, but she kept a stiff upper lip. Or at least tried to.

Her heart was torn when it came to the boys. It would be ludicrous to try to avoid punishment, but she wanted to be the first to know their fate so she could... _Protect them? Fall with them?_ Or more preferably, intervene on their behalf.

Karlheinz shrugged, comfortable to let his almighty disguise drop. "It may be a bother, but it's certainly not a headache. Some lip service here and there, a little blood money, and everything will be settled. It's a shame that my children can't even handle such a matter themselves."

"You- What?!" Yuuki gasped at his perceived indifference. He literally came up with the same course of action as his sons. "Are you the head of a mafia or something? You're not sending a letter to the school _addressing your child's delinquent behavior here_. We're talking about a murder case!"

"Yes. I'm well aware."

"And yet you, UGH!" The vampirette covered her face. "You're all crazy! What happens if you let them get away with it? They won't learn anything. Discipline, sir! I thought you were going to inflict discipline! And, what the hell? Why am _I _the one insisting that they need to be punished?"

"Why _are_ you insisting that they need to be punished? I was under the impression that they were protecting_ you_."

"So?"

"Their behavior is justified?" Karlheinz replied sheepishly feeling like she wouldn't accept the answer. Which she didn't.

"How in the world is it_ justified_? Weren't you the one who sent Shu to the NORTH POLE just because he was too lazy to graduate?"

"Ah, but that is a flaw in his character. He was solely responsible for his dishonor. Here, your attackers had deliberately provoked enmity with our household. They are very different cases altogether," the vampire explained. "If it's hard for you to swallow, think of it like this; the crown has the power to execute any traitors who mean harm to the royal family."

Yuuki scowled. "So I guess this is another case were the influential get away with their crimes. Alright, I see. It happens all the time so I shouldn't be so surprised... But your reasoning still doesn't work in a fair court. Lilith and her gang never hurt any of your precious princes – they targeted me. I just happen to be a friend left in their care."

"Eh? Weren't you engaged to Ayato?"

_Haaaaah? _The vampirette flushed every shade of red. "Wh-whe-where did you hear that?" Yuuki stuttered.

"Either way, I owe it to Seiji to protect you in any way possible as your temporary guardian."

"That's not-"

"No need to fret, my dear. I don't disapprove of your relationship." The vampire smiled at the girl reassuringly, which only stressed her out further. He whistled to the Nightmares.

"Wait! You've got it all wrong!"_ I think I might die._

"I have?" Karlheinz inquired as he stroked a smokey mane. He was quite sure that the two teenagers shared a particularly strong attachment from what he had seen so far. "You have to do a better job of hiding your affection if you wished to keep it a secret from me."

"It's not that, sir. Um, what I meant is that we – uh – haven't gotten that far. I'm not ready for that stage yet." _Ah, how embarrassing. I might pass out from the shame._

"But you do not deny it otherwise?"

"... No."

"Therefore, you have enough ties to our family for it to be upheld by the law. Or the law in your own definition." Karlheinz outstretched a hand to help her get back on the horse.

"Hold on. You can't just make a decision based on that."

"I won't. There's another witness I need to talk to."

She accepted the boost. "The girl I took in?" Yuuki asked once she settled upon Duchess.

"Precisely. Let us go, my dear. There are only a few more hours before dawn is upon us."

* * *

A/N: So here's the bulky chapter that you've been patiently waiting for. Unfortunately, it hasn't done itself any favors. There are so many things that I'm not a 100% happy with but I've been delaying for so long that I just decided to screw it, and hopefully your comments might help me patch some things up. I also want to spend some time revising all the chapters that have been published so far (hence the short hiatus) and bring everything up to a higher level of consistency and quality.

Yuuki's so exasperated in this chapter that I'm sort of worried about her mental health, lawl. Now she has two internal voices nagging her – her logical side and her imaginary friend, Ayato. Just so we're clear, Ayato does not have telepathic abilities or anything. She's just made this figure up to react in ways that she'd expect her real-life boyfriend to when he's not present. I'm honestly having a hard time grasping Karlheinz's character. Will he actually let this matter slide? I guess we'll just have to see about it.

Was it a hit or a miss? There's a lot going on within this conversation: Yuuki warming up to someone she has little reason to like, finally getting confirmation on things that have been bothering her for a long time, and addressing the stupid plot points. Thankfully, we can move on to more interesting developments.


	37. Chapter 37: Bound by the Past

Yuuki entered the house alone and headed towards her room for a short respite. Someone tapped her shoulder and, when she turned her head to look, poked her cheek.

"What took you so long, pancake?" Ayato grumbled as he gently dug his index finger further.

"Oh, it's just you." Yuuki replied with a smile. "And it's not like I'm under curfew. You should know better than to expect the world to run on Ayato Standard Time."

Ignoring her verbal jab, he asked, "Where's _that_ guy?"

"He went to put the mares away. I never knew you had a stable here."

The vampire grunted in reply and continued poking her face multiple times just for the heck of it.

"Will you stop that!?" Yuuki complained as she entered the bedroom. Pochi was snoozing deeply.

"Well, _you_ seem chipper."

She whirled around and pinched both sides of his cheeks. "You overconfident, little rich boy." Yuuki sneered playfully, tugging his face from side to side.

"Ow, whatter you doing, 'hanc'ke." Ayato protested, putting his hands on top of hers.

"Hmm..." Yuuki stared at him with appraising eyes. How had she described his father... Confident, wealthy and powerful? "Yup, I see the resemblance. You'll do."

The boy pried her fingers off and she placed them on his shoulders instead. "Care to elaborate?"

"Well, if _that _guy is supposed to be your king – then I guess a rascal like you could be one. If you brush up, that is."

He wrapped his arms around her. "Should I take that as a compliment?"

"Nope!" Yuuki giggled in reply. "But Karlheinz wasn't as bad as I was expecting him to be," the girl continued dismissively. "Y'all made him seem like the plague. It wasn't that much of a national emergency, now was it?"

"It's not my fault if you can't recognize a sheep in wolf's clothing."

"You mean a wolf in sheep's clothing," the vampirette corrected.

"Whatever." Ayato mumbled into the crook of her neck. At least she was safe and in one piece. Not that he would admit his relief at seeing her unharmed.

"Ayato."

"Yea, pancake?"

"Do you really hate your father that much?"

"I don't_ hate_ him. I just avoided him as much as possible since as long as I can remember."

"Why?"

The vampire pulled back just enough to study her expression. "Why do you care?"

Yuuki shrugged. "Just curious."

"It's not like I hold a grudge because of any one reason – I'm not _that_ critical. 'Sides, there's a lot of history behind it."

"Then tell me a story."

The boy thought for a moment. "So there was this one time when Karlheinz sent_ that_ woman some flowers-"

"-Your mom?"

"Yeah, her. I knew the meaning behind the flowers, so I tried to get rid of them before she saw. This was back when I was really little, by the way. I thought she would be brokenhearted but apparently she didn't know. Well, she caught me in the act and punished me."

"What did they mean?"

"... Hatred."

"Oh," the girl gasped. "I'm sorry."

Ayato raised an eyebrow. "For what?"

"You shouldn't have seen that. That's horrible."

"It's not like I really care now."

"Why would he marry someone he didn't even love?" Yuuki asked sometime after she noticed that they had unknowingly started to slow dance without any music.

"Psh, as if_ I_ know. Her wealth maybe? Connections? Anyway, she's a hypocritical slut who wanted the world to bow down to her."

"Hypocritical?"

"You know her – she abused everyone around her for her own benefit. And yet, that bitch wanted everyone to love her unconditionally."

Yuuki chuckled. "Well, she's not the only one I know that wants to monopolize everybody's attention." She pecked him on the lips. "Weren't we talking about your father?"

"I'll kill him too if it comes to it."

The vampirette flinched. "But you just said that you don't hate him."

"I don't. He's in the way of my ambition."

"Oh, Ayato. What are you talking about?" She stopped moving and stared at him anxiously. The last thing she wanted was more unnecessary death. "If you're worried about me, don't be. Karlheinz said that he doesn't oppose our being together. Isn't that enough?"

"When did he say that?"

"Ah, we were talking about a lot of things and it just came up." Yuuki responded while blushing at the memory. She refused to meet his gaze directly.

It was almost criminal to be that cute. Ayato brushed a strand of her hair back into place. "... Do you know why I chose you?"

She shook her head gently.

"It's because you are the best."

The vampirette moved away from his embrace. "And you're probably going to say something like you deserve only the best. I get it, Ayato. But listen carefully – don't make the same mistakes your parents did. If you want to take the throne then fine, I don't care. Good for you. I've said it before and I'll say it again; I will only agree to be yours and yours alone when I know for sure that it's because you love_ me_ and not just my blood. Your issues with your family are _your_ problem, and you are not going to drag _us_ down with them." Yuuki stated coldly.

"That's not like you, pancake." Ayato commented with a frown. Yuuki was always the one who cared too much for her own good. This declaration sounded nothing like her.

"Don't worry. I'm only warning you because I don't want us to repeat the past. I would've abandoned you long ago if I wasn't willing to face these challenges together. We're a team, right?"

He relaxed at her reassurance. "So basically, you're saying that you couldn't live without me."

"So basically, I'm saying that you don't have to be Mr. Number One, Ayato. Cordelia might have pressured you to be the best, but I don't expect that from you. The fact that you're a misbehaving, reckless, egotistical, cocky hot-shot who's totally clueless about life makes no difference to me. I'll accept all your imperfections."

"What imperfections?" Ayato joked. "And who said that I was _trying_ to be the best? I was born this way."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say. More importantly, where's Laito? I want him to take me that girl, what's-her-face."

"Tsk, as if I'll let him." Truthfully, he didn't feel all that threatened by Yuuki's interactions with his brothers. "You're not going out of my sight again."

_Meaning that you don't want to be left all alone again._

Yuuki sighed. "You really don't have to ask in such a roundabout way - you can tag along if you want."

"Tag along? That's not my style, pancake," the boy said, winking at her. "I'd rather take you there myself."

"Haha. If that's the case, lead the way."

"You forgot the _please_."

_This coming from you of all people._

The girl shook her head in exaggerated disbelief. "Please, Oh_ Well-Mannered and Generous Soul_. I am ever in your favor." She curtsied to add to the theatrics.

She closed her eyes and Ayato took her outstretched hand with a chuckle. When she opened them, Yuuki found herself standing in front of a tower.

"Oh my," the vampirette whispered, vaguely recognizing the general location. She squeezed Ayato's hand. "This is where they're keeping her?"

* * *

A/N: I love how Ayato opens up to Yuuki and how he tells her the story about the flowers, which is canon by the way. I also like Yuuki's resilience in wanting to do things the right way for the right reasons.

Ayato's way too dense. He loves her for grounds he can't even articulate, believing it to stem from his ambition since Cordelia has really messed with his perception of what love truly is. I'm sure Yuuki understands this to be the case and thus forgives it and continues to stick by him, despite feeling a little insulted and objectified. Externally, she challenges his desire to be the best in order to let him realize it for himself. Basically, planting a doubt in his head so that the concept will be born out of his own mind. Yuuki knows that Ayato won't change for the better if she states this idea directly. Sure, he might try to understand, but ultimately the feeling has to come from within him.

Anyway, I'll leave you to speculate in bliss.


	38. Chapter 38: Conflicted

Laito bumped into the couple as Karlheinz interrogated the young girl inside the tower chamber.

"Can we go in?" Yuuki inquired.

"Sure. He's almost done asking questions," the older brother said as he tipped his signature fedora, hiding his humiliation with a smile. The visiting father quickly discovered that Nakusa had not been fed since she had been locked up, and the eldest triplet had been thoroughly reprimanded for neglecting it.

Yuuki took a deep breath to steel her nerves before stepping into the tower.

_Face it head on, girl._

"Oh, it's changed inside." Yuuki noted after climbing the flight of stairs. Behind the iron bars was a simply furnished bedroom, nearly bare compared to her memory of Subaru's mother.

"Changed?" Ayato asked.

"Yeah. Did you guys move Christa's stuff after she died?"

The boy belatedly remembered that Yuuki once claimed to have experienced visions around the time of the awakening. "Nah, pancake, you've got it all wrong. She used to stay in the other tower."

"Oh. I shouldn't of assumed that there was only one, I guess."

_Well, that was anticlimactic. _Yuuki thought to herself. She was tensing up for nothing.

Karlheinz had his back towards them as he stood facing the prisoner, who was sitting on her bed. Beside her was a tray with a bowl of soup licked clean, with only a few bread crumbs left on the plate to indicate the meal's former existence.

"Ah. Yuuki, Ayato. Come in." Karlheinz said when he noticed their presence. Nakusa's teary eyes widened with fear at the sight of them and she shrunk into herself. The older vampire gestured at the part-nephilim. "I've heard about this young lady's situation and I don't mind leaving her under your care, my dear."

_Eh?_

"It seems my sons came up with a fair decision for once. I can take care of the necessary arrangements."

"Why?" Ayato asked in Yuuki's stead, since she seemed a little too startled to respond. The vampirette was wondering why Karlheinz even bothered to intervene if he wasn't planning on rectifying the products of their poor judgment – and further calling it _fair_. Was this how the boys got away with murdering their own mothers?

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" Karl Heinz suggested, moving away to the side. He preferred remaining an observer.

Yuuki peered at the dark-skinned nephilim. She felt something akin to anger before it was replaced with a deep sadness. The girl's huddled, vulnerable posture somehow piqued her sympathy. Her logical side told her that it wasn't worth letting her emotions getting the better of her – the attacker deserved no pity from the victim. Nonetheless, the vampirette let go of Ayato's sleeve and slowly walked over to the bedside.

"Hey." Yuuki greeted softly as she crouched, resting her weight on her toes with her elbows perched upon her knees. "I never got your name."

The girl's gaze fled towards Karlheinz, who's impassive face gave her no encouragement nor reproach. "Nakusa," she eventually croaked.

"Naku? As in _to cry_?" Yuuki asked, drawing the character in the air with her finger. It was a fitting name.

The girl shook her head and stuttered, "No, it's an Indian word."

"Indian? Cool," the vampirette said, attempting to be friendly. "What does it mean?"

Nakusa stared at the other female for a moment. These weren't the kind of questions she was expecting. After all she and her former companions had done to Yuuki, she expected _some_ harshness in Yuuki's behavior. It scared her. What was the girl plotting behind her casual expression? But despite her doubts about the vampirette's true intentions, she knew better than to remain silent.

"Unwanted. My mother named me that when my father told her that he was a nephilim's son."

_Ah, that explains her outburst earlier._

"That must have been a shock for her..." Yuuki murmured in sweet, hushed tone. It was the kind of voice teachers used to soothe agitated kindergartners. The kind of voice a pesky therapist might adopt.

"Why do you care?" Nakusa sneered once she realized that the vampirette meant no immediate harm. "It's none of your business."

Yuuki was taken aback by the bitterness in the girl's voice.

"You're not in any position to talk to her like that." Ayato growled from the wall he leaned on. "Don't make me regret keeping you alive."

"Hush, child." Karlheinz commanded, watching the pair of girls intently.

"Don't threaten her, Ayato." Yuuki gently chided although he had already fallen silent. She turned back to the prisoner. "I don't want to harm her."

_I simply used the wrong approach._ She wasn't talking to Subaru here, but a battered mutt licking its fresh wounds. The former had time to repent and brood and despair. The latter didn't have that luxury.

"Why not?" Nakusa challenged once again. "We did terrible things to you."

"And we did terrible things to you," the vampirette responded sadly, refusing to be provoked. "I'm sorry about your friends."

"We weren't friends."

"Then what were they to you?"

"I don't know. Fakes. Allies? Enemies? I hung out with them but hated every minute."

Biting her lip, Yuuki stopped rocking back and forth and shifted her balance to her heels. "Why would you stick with them if you hated them?"

"Insurance, mainly. But Lilith's gone now." Nakusa's expression hardened with anger. "Defying her is the one time I stood up for myself. Big help that was. Now I'm stuck here."

"Insurance?"

"Damn, you're nosy." Nakusa mumbled, wiping away the left over streaks of salt water on her face. "My dad brought me here to Japan and _left_ me in Lilith's family's care before disappearing. Abandoned me, is more like it... You see these?" She pulled back her chocolate brown locks to reveal scars on her tan neck.

"Fangs." Yuuki breathed, instinctively reaching for the area where her own wounds used to be.

"Lilith's responsible for them. Oh, and Arachnae when she couldn't find any prey. You always looked so..._ unfortunate_ when nobody was looking. It pissed me off. Hah. I've been a meal _for years_ and I'm supposed to be grateful that I've been handed off to another vampire?" Nakusa shook her head before actually addressing Yuuki. "You don't have the right to complain - acting so chummy with the Sakamaki's after a few months of being their snack. Arachnae said that you weren't even a human anymore. Why did _you_ have to be the one to turn?"

"So there's you're personal vendetta against me. Thank you for explaining it so fully." Yuuki replied with a hint of sarcasm.

Nakusa felt like she would earn a slap for her next biting remark.

"Oh, this is nothing. Lilith, on the other hand... She was in love with a certain red head and wanted to crush the little cockroach who stole him away from her. And of course her best friends decided to join in."

Time stopped in the chamber.

"Ahh~ What a relief." Yuuki sighed as she got up and stretched. The other three gawked at her apparent lack of displeasure. "I could let that night at the bathroom traumatize me forever, but I'm not going to be depressed over such a shallow motive."

Ignoring Karlheinz, the blonde peeled the_ certain red head_ off from his wall and placed a hand between his shoulder blades. Ayato uncrossed his arms in surprise, but smoothly followed her lead so that they were holding each other.

"It looks like this really_ is_ all your fault." Yuuki joked before facing the prisoner once again. "This is the easiest way to get revenge on Lady Jumbo Tits. Excuse my french. As for you... I will make a proposition."

Although Nakusa maintained eye-contact, her gaze darkened.

"You may have your freedom as long as you agree to leave me out of your hatred. A destructive feeling, that is," the vampirette added while nodding sagely.

Ayato looked at her sharply. "Pancake, don't tell me you've forgotten-"

"I haven't. But now your dad's here so whatever we said in the morning doesn't matter anymore. Am I supposed to offer her my protection even if she doesn't deserve it?" Yuuki pouted, sounding more selfish than she intended to. "I just don't want to be near anything that reminds me of what happened... Unless..."

She dropped her hand and deliberately walked back to firmly clasp the prisoner's shoulders.

"Nakusa, I will put everything behind me if you remain loyal to me."

"I-"

"- Oh, and I don't mean that horrid relationship you had with those girls." Yuuki interrupted. "If you are willing to become a genuine friend of mine, then forgetting the nasty comments you've made is a small matter."

"I don't understand." Nakusa stammered, utterly confused by Yuuki's smile.

"Don't forget," the vampirette whispered, "I also know what it's like to be alone. Why make an enemy out of the one person who understands you?"

"You don't understand me." The part-nephilim tried to shimmy out of Yuuki's grip, but the vampirette trapped her in a hug.

"You're right." Yuuki agreed. "You've had it worse than me. But you're the only one who survived. Doesn't that count for something?"

Nakusa paused. "That doesn't explain why you want to be my friend all of a sudden."

"Pancake makes it her business to try and be nice to everyone she meets. Get used to it – despite what she says, you're not getting out of this tower."

"Unless she agrees to my deal." Yuuki stated, letting go of Nakusa to silently glare at both Ayato and Karlheinz, as if challenging them to deny her claim. "I was brought to this home against my will once. I'm definitely not going to let that happen to another girl without doing something about it."

Nakusa tugged Yuuki's shirt, her ears flushed with a deep wine color. "You're really stupid. Even if I say I'll do it, I would probably be faking it."

"That's why I specified _loyalty_. If you're willing to forget the past and move on, then the feeling is mutual. If not..." Yuuki's eyes narrowed and her grin faded. "I have no further business with you. You can rot in here for all I care."

* * *

A/N: Hey guys! I just wanted to let you know that I'll be participating in Nanowrimo this year so I won't update for a month. I know, I know, it's a long time. But I'll be back in December =)

Yuuki's totally experiencing mood swings here. On one hand, she wants to help Nakusa out and therefore let the negativity blow over, on the other hand, she wants to destroy everything keeping her away from happiness. I feel like forgiveness will win out in the end because pancake is such an idealist. Normally, people run away from bullies but Yuuki tries to face them head on smh.

Is it wrong to make the one dark-skinned character in this story clearly below the others in social status? I just realized it's sort of racist, although it's totally unintended. Let me know if you want her to be a good person or not... Hope you're wondering why Papa Sakamaki's creeping around for – he literally did nothing except "observe" and tell Ayato to shut his beautiful face.


End file.
